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Copyright,  1893,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 


TROW  DIRECTORY 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINOING  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH,  1 

BY  RUSSELL  STURGIS. 

THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST, . 35 

BY  JOHN  \V.  ROOT. 

THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE, . 70 

BY  BRUCE  PRICE. 

THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE, 99 

BY  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL. 

SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES, 137 

BY  SAMUEL  PARSONS,  Jr. 

BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS, 160 

BY  W.  A.  LINN. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Country  Place  of  Seven  Aches  Overlooking  the  Hudson,  . . Frontispiece 

The  Sears  Houses,  now  the  Somerset  Club,  Exemplifying  the  More 

Sumptuous  Boston  House  of  1840  and  Later, 11 

House  of  Fire-clay  Bricks  in  Prairie  Avenue,  Chicago,  III.,  . . 49 

Roman  Brick  House  in  North  State  Street,  Chicago,  III.,  ...  57 

House  in  Denver,  Col., 65 

The  Osborn  House  at  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y., 71 

Shingle  House  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Richardson,  Architect,  ...  85 

The  Newcombe  House  at  Elberon,  N.  J.,  McKim,  Architect,  . . 91 

An  Artistic  Cottage  at  Short  Hills,  N.  J 95 

Linklaen  House  (Eighteenth  Century)  Cazenovia,  N.  Y. , . . . Ill 

Wadsworth  Homestead  in  the  Genesee  Valley,  Western  New  York,  . 119 

Hyde  Hall,  Cooperstown,  N.  Y. , 123 

House  of  Edward  Livingston,  Lenox,  Mass., 127 

House  of  Lyman  Josephs,  Newport,  R.  I. , . . . . . . 133 

A Country  Place  of  Seven  Acres,  with  Pond,  in  the  Midst  of  Open 

Country, 149 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


viii 


ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  THE  TEXT 

Old  Brick  Houses  on  Washington  Square,  North,  New  York, 

Old  Type  of  House  in  Beach  Street,  Boston, 

Rear  View  of  Houses  at  Eighth  and  Spruce  Streets,  Philadelphia,  . 
Group  of  Houses  at  Third  and  Locust  Streets,  Philadelphia  ; Built 

about  1810, 

Southern  House  with  Verandas  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  . 

Wide  House  in  Washington  Place,  New  York, 

Brick  House,  Corner  of  East  Sixty-eighth  Street  and  Park  Avenue, 

New  York  ; Built  about  1880, 

Modern  Yellow  Brick  House  in  East  Thirty-third  Street,  New  York, 

House  in  East  Forty-ninth  Street,  New  York, 

Old  New  York  Houses,  now  the  Colonnade  Hotel,  Lafayette  Place, 

New  York, 

Corner  House  in  West  End  Avenue,  New  York 

Old  House  in  Cincinnati,  O., 

Brick  and  Terra-cotta  House  on  Dearborn  Avenue,  Chicago,  III.,  . 

IlEDDISn-BROWN  SANDSTONE  HOUSE  ON  DEARBORN  AA’ENUE,  CHICAGO,  ILL.,  . 

House  of  Rough-faced  Brick  in  Bellevue  Place,  Chicago,  III., 

A Picturesque  House  in  St.  Louis,  Mo., 

Wooden  House  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  with  Stucco-frieze, 

House  in  Minneapolis,  Minn., 

Terraced  House  at  Tacoma,  Wash., 

Suburban  House  of  Moderate  Pretensions  at  Tuxedo,  N.  Y., 

Siiingle-work  House  at  Morristown,  N.  J., 

House  at  Cumberland,  Md.  ; Built  Fifty  Years  ago,  .... 

Cottage  at  Newport,  R.  I., 

House  at  Kenwood,  III., 


rAGE 

4 

8 

13 

14 

15 
17 

21 

26 

27 

28 

31 

41 

53 

55 

59 

60 
61 
68 

79 

80 
81 
82 
83 


87 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

PAGE 

Suburban  House  at  Evanston,  III 88 

House  at  Cincinnati,  O., 89 

English  Suburban  House, 94 

Rock  Hall,  near  Rockaway,  Long  Island,  . 101 

Example  of  Old  House  in  Interior  of  Connecticut,  ....  102 

Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  Shore  House, 103 

Specimen  of  Early  Dutch  Architecture,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  . . 104 

Residence  of  Joseph  Hopkins  Smith,  Falmouth,  Me.,  ....  105 

Characteristic  New  England  House,  Especially  in  Towns  along  the 

Connecticut  River, 106 

Old  House  of  Peter  Avery,  Pequonnoc,  Conn.  ; Built  in  1656,  . . 107 

Fairbanks  House  at  Dedham,  Mass.  ; Built  in  1636, 108 

Johnson  Hall,  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  ; Built  in  1764  by  Sir  William  John- 
son,   109 

Stratford  House,  Westmoreland  County,  Va., 115 

Mantel  in  the  Wister  House,  Germantown,  Pa., 116 

Chew  House,  Germantown,  Pa., 117 

Staircase  in  Wadsworth  House,  Geneseo, 121 

Lodge  Gate,  Hyde  Hall, 125 

McAlpin  House,  Sing  Sing,  N.  Y., 130 

Country  Place  of  Six  Acres  on  the  East  River,  near  New  York,  . 146 

A Place  of  about  Seven  Acres  in  a New  Jersey  Hill  Town,  . . . 153 

Grounds  of  a House  at  a Summer  Watering  Place,  ....  156 

Rural  Treatment  of  a Place  of  Two  Lots  in  a City,  ....  158 
A Building  and  Loan  Association  receiving  Monthly  Dues,  . . 187 

House  of  a Carpenter  at  Wollaston,  Mass.  ; Cost  $1,800,  . . . 189 

Row  of  Houses  in  Reading,  Pa.  ; Built  by  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tions,   192 

House  of  a Clerk  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  ; Cost  about  $2,200,  . . . 194 


X 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

House  of  a Western  Union  Telegraph  Superintendent  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, N.  Y.  ; Cost  $2,200,  exclusive  of  Ground, 197 

House  in  Sixty-seventh  Street,  Bay  Eidge,  L.  I. ; Cost  $2,500,  . . 198 

“Then  and  Now.”  Four  Rooms  Rented  in  the  Upper  Floor  of  this 

Building  at  $9  per  Month, 200 

House  Built  and  Occupied  by  the  Same  Man  in  Hackensack,  N.  J.  ; 

Cost  $1,050;  Monthly  Payment,  $11.50, 200 

House  of  a Wholesale  Dry-Goods  Merchant  at  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  . 202 

Hall  Built  by  the  Columbia  Association,  Jersey  City  ; Cost,  with  Lot, 

$4,730, 203 

House  of  a Young  Business  Man  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  ; Built  on  a 

Weekly  Payment  of  $7.25,  for  a Period  of  about  Nine  Years,  . 205 

House  of  a Tailor  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.  ; Cost  $1,800, 200 

House  of  a Building  and  Loan  Association  Secretary  in  St.  Louis  ; 

Cost,  without  Lot,  $7,000, 208 

House  of  a Cincinnati  Bookkeeper  ; Cost,  with  Lot,  $2,400,  . . 209 

House  of  a Bookkeeper  at  Berkeley,  a Suburb  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.  ; 

Cost  $2,000 210 

House  of  a Government  Clerk  in  Washington,  D.  C.  ; Cost  $4,000,  . 211 

House  of  a Pressman  in  New  Orleans;  Cost,  with  Lot,  $4,227,  . . 213 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


By  BUSSELL  STUKGIS 


IN  this  chapter  a city  house  is  assumed  to  be  one  which  forms  part 
of  a thickly  built  neighborhood.  The  city  house,  according  to 
this  standard,  occupies  a lot  which  it  almost  en- 
tirely fills.  It  is  either  enclosed  on  both  sides, 
so  as  to  have  its  windows  in  the  two  narrow 
faces  only,  or  else,  if  a corner  house,  it  has  the 
street  on  two  sides  of  it,  and  another  house  set 
close  against  it  on  one  side.  Houses  which  are 
freer  in  this  respect,  and  have  windows  on  all 
four  sides,  and  those  which  have,  moreover, 
some  ground  about  them,  which  circumstance 
will  usually  modify  their  plan,  come  under  the 
head  of  suburban  houses,  and  will  be  considered 
at  another  time. 

The  very  simple  New  York  house  of  1830 
and  the  years  following,  and  the  more  stately 
houses  of  the  same  epoch  were  alike  planned 
nearly  as  in  Plan  1.  The  mansion  of  Washing- 
ton Square  and  the  six-tliousand-dollar  house 
of  an  out-of-the-way  street  differ  merely  in  di- 
mensions, and  in  such  minor  features  as  the  presence  or  absence  of 
the  columns  which  seem  to  reinforce  the  partition  between  the  parlors, 
and  the  similar  architectural  adornments  of  the  principal  entrance. 


| ' « '• SCALE | 

Plan  1. — A Washington  Square 
House,  New  York,  about 
1830. 


9, 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


The  stoop  * contained  not  less  than  eight  risers  in  addition  to  the 
door-sill ; that  is  to  say,  the  visitor  had  to  mount  at  least  nine  steps 
from  the  sidewalk  to  reach  the  parlor  door ; very  often  there  were 
eleven  or  twelve  steps  in  all.  Indeed,  one  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  who,  in  1870,  was  building  a house  into  which  he  wished  to 
incorporate  his  reminiscences  of  the  early  time,  insisted  on  a total 
height  of  seven  feet  seven  inches  for  his  stoop,  or  thirteen  risers  of 
seven  inches  each,  which  he  thought  was  the  normal  height  and  ar- 
rangement of  a New  York  stoop.  In  houses  of  1830,  both  the  larger 
and  the  smaller,  the  front  basement  room  was  expected  to  be  used  as 
a dining-room.  So  much  of  the  common  London  house  plan  was  re- 
tained, with,  however,  this  important  difference — that  instead  of  en- 
tering the  house  on  the  dining-room  floor,  and  going  upstairs  to  the 
drawing-rooms,  you  entered  the  house  on  the  drawing-room  floor,  and 
were  obliged  to  go  downstairs  to  the  dining-room.  The  kitchen  occu- 
pied the  back  part  of  the  basement  story,  and  between  the  kitchen 
and  the  dining-room  were  closets  and  pantries,  with  sometimes  a trap 
in  the  wall  through  which  dishes  could  be  passed,  and  sometimes  a 
free  doorway.  The  back  yard  was  not,  as  has  been  the  later  custom, 
dug  out  to  the  level  of  six  or  eight  inches  below  the  kitchen  floor,  but 
remained  at  the  original  level,  and  an  area,  that  is,  a sunken  enclos- 
ure with  retaining  walls  and  a few  rough  stone  steps,  was  made  for 
access  to  the  kitchen.  In  the  second  story  there  was  the  well-known 
arrangement  of  a large  bedroom  in  front  with  two  windows,  and  a 
small  one  adjoining  it  ; the  same  arrangement  in  the  rear,  and  the 
space  between  the  two  large  bedrooms  occupied  by  closets,  called  in 
New  York,  of  old,  always  ‘ pantries.” 

After  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  New  York,  a bath 
was  put  up  in  the  smaller  back  room,  or,  as  it  is  generally  called  now- 

*Tliis  word,  of  Dutch  origin,  once  unknown  outside  of  New  York  and  its  immedi- 
ate vicinity,  hut  now  in  use  throughout  the  country,  is  a desirable  addition  to  the  lan- 
guage, for  it  expresses  what  no  other  English  word  does.  It  corresponds  very  closely  to 
the  French  perron. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


o 


adays,  the  back  liall-bedroom  ; and,  in  houses  built  after  the  introduc- 
tion of  Croton  water,  this  was  almost  uniformly  used  as  the  bathroom. 
The  water-supply  in  these  houses  was,  however,  limited  to  this  bath- 
room and  to  the  kitchen  sink.  There  were  no  “ set  ” wash-trays,  no 
water-supply  for  the  furnace — for  there  was  no  furnace,  at  least  of  the 
modern  sort — no  permanent  basins  in  the  bedrooms,  no  sinks  or  other 
conveniences  to  which  water  was  supplied  ; furthermore,  there  was  no 
dumb-waiter  connecting  the  kitchen  floor  and  the  parlor  floor,  be- 
cause it  was  not  expected  that  the  family  would  eat  anywhere  except 
in  the  front  basement  room.  Access  to  the  roof  was  by  means  of  a 
movable  ladder.  The  cellar  was  paved  with  cobble-stones,  and  had 
no  fittings  beyond  a few  shelves  and  one  or  two  “ hanging  shelves,” 
which  were  light  platforms,  hung  by  strips  of  avoocI  nailed  to  the 
beams  overhead ; but  at  least  every  house  had  a cellar  under  its 
Avliole  extent,  and  this  partly  made  up  for  the  absent  garret,  which 
the  growing  disposition  to  make  Avliat  are  called  flat  roofs — that  is, 
roofs  with  a very  slight  inclination,  and  covered,  usually,  with  metal — 
Avas  beginning  to  banish.  Such  a house,  if  it  had  two  full  stories  of 
bedrooms  above  the  parlors,  Avas  still  called  a “ two -story  house  Avith 
finished  attic,”  that  is  to  say,  the  parlor  story  counted  as  one,  and  the 
second  bedroom  story  Avas  still  the  attic,  whether  it  Avas  everywhere 
nine  feet  or  more  high  in  the  clear,  or  whether,  as  often  happened, 
the  slope  of  the  roof  cut  oft’  the  back  rooms  to  a height  of  six  or  even 
five  feet  at  the  rear  Avail.  The  front  Avas  of  plain  brick,  with  white 
marble  lintels  and  stoop  in  the  handsomer  houses  of  Bleecker  Street, 
Washington  Place,  Washington  Square,  and  the  like,  or  of  Connecti- 
cut brown  stone  in  Clinton  Place,  loAver  Fifth  Avenue,  Second  Avenue, 
St.  Mark’s  Place,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  toAvn.  There  Avas  extreme 
simplicity  in  all  the  fittings  and  appointments,  with  the  exception  of 
here  and  there  a costly  detail ; thus,  in  many  of  these  houses,  the 
doors  of  the  parlor  story,  and  sometimes  of  the  first  bedroom  story, 
Avere  of  mahogany  or  roseAvood  veneered  work,  extremely  handsome, 
Avell-made,  and  costly,  Avliile  all  the  woodwork  around  them  Avas  of 


4 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


' \ - ■ 


North,  New  York. 


white  pine,  simply  painted  white,  and  without  carving  or  ornament  of 
applied  composition.  The  tendency  of  the  epoch  thirty  years  earlier 
for  rather  elaborate  decoration,  with  plaster,  stucco,  and  the  like,  in 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


5 


the  classical  style,  and  applied  freely  to  cornices  and  ceilings,  had  also 
disappeared,  and  a severe  uniformity  had  become  the  rule. 

The  picture  on  p.  4 gives  the  exterior  of  such  a house,  taken 
from  one  of  those  now  standing  on  the  north  side  of  Washington 
Square.  The  only  discrepancy  between  plan  and  exterior  view  is  that 
the  latter  has  a more  elaborate  entrance  ; the  doorway  proper  more 
deeply  recessed  and  decorated  with  wooden  col- 
umns within  the  recess,  while  a marble  porch 
decorates  the  opening  in  the  house-wall. 

In  Baltimore  and  the  more  Southern  cities 
a very  different  plan  of  house,  and  one  more 
nearly  approaching  the  suburban  type,  was 
usual.  Plan  2 shows  the  ground-floor  of  such 
a house  of  the  smaller  and  cheaper  sort,  and  it 
will  be  seen  that  such  a plan  presupposes  lower 
prices  for  land  and  the  possibility  of  using,  for 
an  eight-thousand  or  a ten  - thousand  dollar 
house,  a larger,  or  at  least  a wider,  lot  than 
New  York  allowed  to  a house  of  twice  the  cost. 

The  front  building  has  but  one  room  and  the 
staircase  hall  in  its  depth  ; and  this  front  build- 
ing is  usually  three  actual  stories  in  height, 
namely,  the  ground-story,  raised  only  two  or 
three  steps  above  the  sidewalk ; the  drawing- 
room story  above  this,  and  a third  story  con- 
taining perhaps  two  bedrooms.  The  back  build-  Plan  2. — Ground  Plan  of  a 

. . , , , . i Southern  House. 

mg  contains,  above  the  rooms  shown  m the  plan, 

at  least  one  story  of  bedrooms.  The  back  stairs  leading  from  the  kit- 
chen communicate  with  this  and  with  a sort  of  a garret  above.  There 
is  no  water-supply  to  the  house  except  a pump  at  the  end  of  the  yard, 
which  pump,  however,  was  replaced  by  a hydrant  when  water  from  an 
aqueduct  was  to  be  had. 

Plan  3 shows  a modification  of  this  plan  in  the  direction  of  greater 


6 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


elegance  and  cost.  The  plan  is  as  noticeable  for 
convenience  and  pleasantness,  as,  in  its  smaller 
way,  is  Plan  2.  The  little  passage  leading  to  the 
side  door  would  seem  to  separate  the  dining-room 
from  the  parlors  enough  and  not  too  much. 

— i . The  superiority  of  these  plans  over  the  New 

York  one,  in  all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  comfort 
of  domestic  life,  is  obvious  ; but  their  merits  are 
directly  traceable  to  the  low  price  of  land.  The 
unfortunate  step  taken  long  ago  by  our  now- 
forgotten  predecessors  of 
placing  New  York  City 
on  this  narrow  island  of 
Manhattan  was  felt  in  its 
fatal  influence  on  the 
comfort  of  our  homes 
before  New  York  con- 
tained a quarter  of  a 
million  of  inhabitants. 

The  Boston  type  of 

U»  house,  Plans  4 and  5, 

— J 11  seems  to  indicate  a 

still  greater  scarcity  of 
land  than  existed  in  New 
York,  in  which  latter  city 
the  streets  at  least  were 
tolerably  wide  and  allowed  of  the  usual  exterior 
appliances  — stoops,  areas,  and  courtyards,  to 
use  the  most  familiar  terms.  Boston,  indeed, 
was  a very  crowded  place  before  the  building 
up  of  Back  Bay  was  begun.  The  curious  ar- 
rangement of  the  entrance  flight  of  steps  within 
the  wall  of  the  house  was  as  characteristic  a 


HALL 


Plan  3. — Ground  Floor  of  a 
House  in  Richmond,  Va. 


Plan  4. — Boston  House,  Ground 
Floor. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


feature  of  Boston  streets  as  any  that  could  he  named.  Plan  4 shows 
the  lowest  story,  raised  five  or  six  steps  above  the  sidewalk.  The 
front  room  was  nearly  always  arranged  for  a dining-room, 

and  so  used  ; the  back  room  was  the  kitchen,  and  beneath  1 

this  story  there  was  nothing  but  the  cellar,  raised  half 
above  the  ground,  like  a New  York  basement  story,  and 
including  the  curious  “ archway,”  by  means  of  which  ac- 
cess was  had  to  the  kitchen  by  the  tradesmen  supplying 
the  family.  The  butcher-boy,  ringing  at  the  archway 
bell,  plunged  down  a steep  flight  of  steps  when  the  door 
Avas  opened,  passed  through  a passage-way  par- 
titioned off  from  the  cellar,  mounted  a second 
flight  of  steps  to  the  back  yard,  and  so  found 
himself  opposite  the  kitchen  door.  It  was,  in- 
deed, the  Baltimore  or  Philadelphia  alley  adapt- 
ed to  a small  lot  by  being  put  under  the  house 
instead  of  beside  it ; and  there  were  Boston 
houses  which  retained  the  alley  on  the  street 
level,  and  were  carried  over  it  and  so  made 
wider  in  the  upper  stories.  Plan  5 shows  the 
drawing-room  floor  of  the  same  Boston  house  ; 
and,  as  the  room  back  of  the  staircase  was  often  _ 
arranged  for  a china-closet,  it  would  seem  that 
the  Boston  family  used  often  to  dine  in  the  pi 
back  parlor.  There  was  no  dumb-waiter,  to  be 
sure,  but  Boston  always  was  inclined  to  take  after  London,  and  to  this 
day  a waiting-maid  in  a London  house  brings  all  the  dishes  for  the 
table  up  at  least  one  flight  of  stairs  to  the  dining-room,  an  arrange- 
ment which  a New  York  maid  or  man  would  consider  quite  out  of  the 
question.  There  was  no  plumbing  and  no  water-supply  in  such  a 
house  except  in  the  kitchen,  no  dumb-waiter,  no  furnace.  When  the 
Cochituate  water  was  brought  into  the  city  a bath-room  was  perhaps 
fitted  up  in  the  ground-floor  extension,  or  more  rarely  in  the  third 


5. — Boston  House,  Secoqd 
Floor. 


8 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COTJNTRI 


Old  Type  of  House  in  Beach  Street,  Boston. 


story.  The  cost  of 
such  a house  was 
about  the  same  as  that 
of  a New  York  house 
of  the  same  size,  but 
the  Boston  lot  was 
not  usually  of  the  full 
depth  of  a hundred 
feet.  In  view  of  the 
small  size  of  the  back 
yard,  the  “ wash  ” was 
dried  on  the  roof  of 
the  one -story  exten- 
sion, and  the  frames 
and  racks  adapted  to 
this  purpose  were  a 
characteristic  feature 
of  the  interior  of  an 
old  Boston  block. 

The  annexed  pict- 
ure is  a front  view  of 
just  such  a house,  ex- 
cept that  it  is  reversed 
from  the  plan,  and  has 
the  entrance  on  the 
left.  The  steps  that 
lead  up  to  the  front 
door  might  be  of 
wood,  as  they  were 
partially  protected 
from  the  weather,  and 
they  were  so  except  in 
rather  costly  houses. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


9 


It  was  noticeable  that  in  these  houses  there  was  no  projection  of  any 
sort  beyond  the  house-wall,  nothing  belonging  to  the  house  which  in 
any  way  encroached  upon  the  street.  Perhaps  a scraper  for  the  feet  at 
the  main  entrance  would  be  the  only  accessory  which  invaded  the 
public  way,  or  perhaps  the  uppermost  step  of  the  flight  leading  to  the 
archway  would  invade  the  sidewalk  to  the  width  of  a foot  or  somewhat 
less.  The  New  Yorker  walking  along  the  Boston  streets  had  a curious 
sensation  of  brushing  the  walls  of  the  houses  with  his  elbow,  and  of 
being  within  two  feet  of  the  people  looking  out 
of  the  windows  of  the  ground  floor.  Something 
of  the  same  kind  we  shall  find  in  Philadelphia. 

The  narrow  and  crooked  streets,  lined  on  both 
sides  with  houses  like  these,  gave  a singular  air 
of  sternness  and  simplicity  to  the  town,  and 
caused  to  a certain  extent  what  was  called  the 
English  look  of  Boston. 

In  the  three  typical  houses  we  have  been 
considering,  it  was  always  assumed  that  the 
dining-room  would  be  on  the  floor  below  that 
occupied  by  the  drawing-room  or  rooms  ; but  in 
Philadelphia  a type  of  house  was  in  use  from  an 
early  time  which  put  all  the  living-rooms  on  one 
floor,  and  very  nearly  on  the  level  of  the  street. 

It  is  curious  to  see  this  retention  of  an  eminent- 
ly out-of-town  feature  in  so  thickly  built  a city. 

Plan  6 gives  us  the  ground  floor  of  such  a house 
as  this.  The  wealthy  Quaker  merchants  of  Phil- 
adelphia may  be  said  to  have  brought  this  kind 
of  house  to  as  great  perfection  as  the  plan  al- 
lows. Their  fittings  and  decorations  were  of 
the  most  simple  character,  so  far  as  the  variety 

of  form  and  color  is  concerned,  but  the  workmanship  was  excellent, 
and  there  was  no  rejection  of  such  worldly  features  as  expensive  wall- 


Plan  6. — Ground  Floor  of  a 
Philadelphia  House. 


10 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


paper  with  gold  patterns  on  a gray  ground,  and  doors  and  mantle- 
pieces  of  somewhat  costly  materials.  In  general,  the  fittings  and  ap- 
pointments were  at  least  as  good  as  those  of  Boston  and  New  York. 
As  regards  the  plan,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Philadelphia 
house  communicated  with  a back  alley  running  through  the  block, 
from  which  there  was  a gateway  through  the  back  wall  of  the  yard 
and  thence  to  the  kitchen.  In  front,  therefore,  on  the  street,  there 
needed  to  be  but  one  entrance,  and  this  was  raised  not  more  than 
five  risers  from  the  sidewalk.  There  was  no  front  area,  of  course, 
and  the  smooth  brick  sidewalk  was  carried  unbroken  to  the  mar- 
ble facing  of  the  basement  story,  so  that  any  passer-by  could  look 
in  at  the  windows.  The  front  parlor  was  made  as  wide  as  the  house 
would  allow,  leaving  only  about  five  feet  or  thereabout  for  the  passage- 
way ; but  the  staircase  hall  in  the  rear  was  necessarily  wider,  so  that 
the  back  parlor  was  two  feet  or  three  feet  narrower  than  the  front. 
The  staircase  usually  went  up  in  double  flights  with  platforms.  In  this 
plan  the  dining-room  is  supposed  to  be  the  back  parlor,  and  this  ar- 
rangement was  facilitated  by  the  closets  between  the  two  parlors,  con- 
venient in  themselves  and  forming  a lobby  or  short  passage  with  two 
pairs  of  doors  if  desired.  Houses  somewhat  more  expensive  have  a 
larger  back  building  than  is  sufficient  for  the  kitchen  and  its  appurte- 
nances, and  have  the  dining-room  itself  in  that  L.  No  service  room  or 
butler’s  pantry  was  obtainable  on  the  smaller  plan,  but  access  to  the 
kitchen  was  sufficiently  convenient,  while  at  the  same  time  there  was 
no  unnecessary  discomfort  caused  by  its  too  great  vicinity.  The  up- 
per stories  had  this  peculiarity,  that  the  staircase  hall  Avas  always 
well-lighted  by  windows  on  the  platforms  of  the  staircase;  for  the 
back  building  did  not  extend  above  the  first  story.  The  inhabitants 
paid  for  their  light  staircase  and  hall  by  giving  up  one  of  the  possible 
hall-bedrooms  on  each  floor.  Houses  like  this,  and  in  desirable 
neighborhoods  too,  would  rent  for  from  $600  to  $800  at  a time  Avhen 
in  New  York  absolutely  nothing  of  the  sort  was  knoAvn  ; when,  even  as 
now,  one  had  to  go  to  South  Brooklyn  or  to  Harlem  for  a six-hundred- 


The  Sears  Houses,  now  the  Somerset  Club,  exemplifying  the  more  sumptuous  Boston  House  of  1840  and  later. 

(The  “ archway  ” is  retained  in  the  passage  leading  from  the  doorway  in  the  Terrace  Wall.) 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


13 


dollar  house  and  nearly  as  far  for  an  eight-hundred-dollar  one.  Phil- 
adelphia as  well  as  Baltimore  had  the  advantage  of  plenty  of  land  to 
spread  over.  It  used  this  great  advantage  in  a way  not  decorative  or 
poetical  assuredly,  but  in  the  most  economical  fashion,  so  as  to  make 
possible  thousands  of  comfortable  and  sufficient  private  houses. 


Rear  View  of  Houses  at  Eighth  and  Spruce  Streets,  Philadelphia. 


The  picture  above  shows  the  exterior,  not  indeed  of  just  such 
a house  as  we  have  been  describing,  but  of  the  corner  house  of  a 
block  of  just  such  houses.  The  entrance  being  on  the  side  street, 
around  the  corner,  changes  the  arrangement  of  the  principal  rooms, 
and  there  is  a much  larger  area  enclosed  from  the  street  than  we  had 
assumed  to  be  customary ; but  the  back  building  containing  the 
kitchen,  the  red  brick  and  white  marble,  and  above  all  the  display  of 


n 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


white-painted  solid  shutters  at  all  the  windows,  above  and  below,  are 
as  characteristic  as  possible.  These  Philadelphia  houses  are  so  fasci- 


Group  of  Houses  at  Third  and  Locust  Streets,  Philadelphia;  built  about  1810. 


nating  in  their  simplicity  and  homeliness,  that  it  seems  worth  while 
to  give  in  the  picture  above  a row  of  smaller  ones,  older  perhaps 
than  the  types  we  have  been  considering,  perhaps  of  about  1810, 
adorned  with  a little  colored  brick-work,  and  more  picturesque  than 
a later  taste  allowed. 

The  types  followed  in  the  more  Southern  cities  vary  too  much  for 
us  to  study  them  in  detail.  Thus,  in  New  Orleans,  the  building  of  the 
larger  houses  around  courts,  or  with  large  paved  yards  between  the 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


15 


house  and  the  street,  made  the  type  of  smaller  houses  very  uncertain. 
Each  builder  of  a small  house  tried  to  secure  some  of  the  features  of 
the  larger  ones,  and  the  result  was  endless  variety.  In  Savannah  the 
house  of  the  better  class  was  apt  to  have  the  parlors,  dining-room,  etc., 
in  a long  suite,  with  windows  opening  on  a garden  which  stretched  the 
whole  length  of  the  house.  In  Charleston  the  houses  were  more  like 
those  in  Northern  cities,  except  the  mansions  of  considerable  size  ; 
these  had  “ galleries,”  or  verandas,  sometimes  two  stories  of  them, 
as  in  the  picture  below,  and  resembled  suburban  rather  than  city 
houses.  It  is  hard  to  establish  a type  for  the  smaller  houses  of  the 


House  in  Charleston,  S.  C. 


Southern  cities.  It  is  quite  probable  that  there  was  not  quite  so  uni- 
form a gradation  between  the  humblest  and  the  more  elegant  houses 
as  in  the  North. 


16 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Wealthier  families  at  the  North,  as  well  as  at  the  South,  enjoyed 
double  houses,  that  is  to  say,  houses  with  rooms  on  both  sides  of  the 
entrance  hall,  occupying  for  the  purpose  lots  of  ground  from  thirty  - 
seven  to  fifty  feet  in  width.  It  is  remarkable,  however,  that  very  few 
such  houses  were  built  in  New  York,  as  compared  with  the  much 
greater  number  in  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  and  even  in  crowded 
Boston.  Mr.  Bristed,  in  his  “ Upper  Ten  Thousand,”  the  letters  com- 
posing which  work  were  contributed  to  Frazer  s Magazine  about  1845, 
puts  his  typical  NeAV  York  grandee  into  a house  three  rooms  deep  and 
twenty-seven  feet  wide,  and  explains  that  this  house  occupied  a cor- 
ner lot,  and  thus  had  the  advantage  of  windows  in  the  second  room  of 
the  three.  Indeed,  anyone  who  knew  New  York  about  1845,  will  re- 
member how  unusual  was  the  house  with  four  or  live  windows  in  one 
story  of  its  front.  Still,  such  houses  were  known.  The  picture  on 
page  17  shows  one  that  must  have  been  a delightful  residence ; it  is 
now  no  longer  a private  dwelling.  The  Boston  double  house  was  apt 
to  be  of  the  type  shown  in  Plan  7.  The  lot  is 
about  forty  feet  wide.  The  two  large  parlors 
are  in  themselves  almost  exactly  reproductions 
of  the  two  parlors  of  the  narrower  houses  that 
we  have  been  considering  ; but,  as  half  of  the 
width  of  the  lot  is  allowed  them,  they  are 
broader,  and  with  the  width  goes  generally 
greater  length.  The  plan,  as  it  is  given  here, 
is  a Boston  plan,  but  the  New  York  house  of 
the  same  character  was  very  like  it,  except  that 
the  rounded  front  of  the  parlor  would  be  ab- 
sent; for  these  “swell  fronts”  were  essentially  a 
Boston  peculiarity,  and  but  two  or  three  groups 
of  them  existed  in  New  York.  A similar  house  was  built  on  a narrower 
lot,  thirty-two  feet  Avide  or  thereabouts,  Avith  this  change,  namely,  that 
the  dining-room,  instead  of  slipping  past  the  back  parlor  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  length  of  the  house,  so  as  to  al-loAV  of  a door  in  the  longi- 


Plan  7. — Ground  Floor,  Boston 
Double-house. 


House  in  Washington  Place,  New  York. 

tuclinal  partition,  as  in  Plan  7,  was  slipped  past  the  back  parlor  the 
other  way,  or  transversely,  so  that  the  door  leading  from  the  back  par- 
lor to  the  dining-room  would  be  in  the  rear  wall  of  the  latter,  and  the 

back  parlor  would  have  but  one  window. 

2 


18 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


In  this  plan,  the  stoop,  with  entrance  directly  to  the  principal 
floor,  was  still  maintained.  With  this  exception,  it  is  curious  how 
like  the  plan  is  to  a well-known  English  one.  Plan  8 represents  a 
house  to  which  many  an  American  has  gone  to 
see  the  beautiful  works  of  art  which  it  contained 
— a simple  house  in  a quarter  of  London  very 
fashionable  forty  years  ago,  and  still  respecta- 
ble, with  a venerable  air  of  bygone  magnificence. 
Here,  as  in  pretty  much  all  London  houses,  the 
entrance  is  on  what  we  should  call  the  basement 
floor,  and  on  the  same  floor  as  the  dining-room. 
The  principal  story  is,  therefore,  left  free  from 
the  annoyance  of  the  entrance  from  the  street, 
and  consists  of  a series  of  drawing-rooms  and 
sitting-rooms.  The  plan  differs  from  that  of 
other  London  houses  of  the  same  epoch,  and  of 
some  dignity,  chiefly  in  the  great  prolongation 
of  the  L or  extension,  so  as  to  make  a double 
picture-gallery  of  considerable  size,  lighted  from 
the  roof  as  well  as  from  the  side  wall.  Ordi- 
narily, such  a house  had  an  extension  of  not 
more  than  fifteen  feet  from  the  rear  wall  of  the 
main  building,  and  a morning-room  or  sitting- 
room  of  moderate  size  occupied  the  whole  of  this.  The  immense  su- 
periority, for  all  purposes  of  elegant  social  life,  of  this  plan  over  the 
Boston  one  is  obvious.  The  only  advantage  which  the  Boston  plan 
has  is  that  of  having  the  dining-room  on  the  same  floor  as  the 
sitting-room  and  drawing-room,  so  that  dinner  guests  assembling  in 
any  of  these  rooms  can  go  to  the  dining-room,  and  can,  later,  pass 
from  the  dining-room  to  the  drawing-room  without  going  up  and 
down  stairs.  This  advantage  is  perhaps  fully  counterbalanced  by 
the  avoidance  of  the  neighborhood  of  the  dining-room  with  its 
odors,  so  unwelcome  after  the  dinner  is  over.  In  a city  house 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


19 


there  is  hardly  room  for  the  dining-room  on  the  same  floor  with 
the  drawing-room,  without  this  annoyance ; and  in  all  other  respects 
the  London  plan  has  the  clear  advantage,  the  rooms  for  family  life 
and  for  entertainment  being  alike  free  from  the  double  annoyance  of 
the  doorway  to  the  street  with  its  passage  or  entry  cutting  across  the 
sequence  of  the  apartments,  and  of  the  dining-room  with  its  pan- 
tries and  other  appurtenances.  There  is,  indeed,  but  one  good  reason 
for  the  adoption  of  the  “ high-stoop  ” plan,  and  that  is  the  lack,  in 
this  country,  of  fairly  well-trained  servants.  The  lady  of  the  house 
receiving  in  London  is  supposed  to  ring  for  a servant  to  show  her 
guest  to  the  outer  door,  to  open  it  and  close  it  again.  In  planning 
the  American  house,  it  is  assumed  that  she  will  not  have  servants 
enough,  or  well-trained  enough,  to  allow  of  such  a manner  of  speed- 
ing her  parting  guest ; she  is  supposed  to  be  left  to  her  own  re- 
sources, and  to  be  more  able  to  see  that  her  guests  get  out  of  the 
house  in  safety  if  she  is  herself  in  the  room  immediately  adjoining 
the  entrance.  No  other  reason  has  ever  been  suggested,  so  far  as  the 
author  knows,  for  the  solecism,  almost  universal  in  America  now,  of 
having  the  principal  rooms  for  entertainment  and  family  life  as  close 
as  possible  to  the  street  door.  It  is,  in  fact,  a country  plan  or  a sub- 
urban plan,  adapted  badly  enough  to  city  uses.  It  dates  from  a time 
when  the  door-bell  did  not  ring  much  more  often  in  a city  house  than 
the  knocker  sounded  in  a country  house  ; from  a time  when  there  was 
practically  no  service,  and  when,  the  door  standing  open  in  pleasant 
weather,  the  visitor  or  messenger  or  tradesman  announced  his  pres- 
ence as  best  he  could,  by  rapping  at  the  open  door,  or  by  hemming 
or  coughing  in  the  front  hall ; when,  during  the  hours  of  an  evening 
entertainment,  no  interruption  was  to  be  expected,  and  when  morning 
or  afternoon  visiting  was  so  far  informal  and  a matter  of  free  inter- 
course between  neighbors,  that  there  was  little  call  for  further  cere- 
mony than  the  good-by  at  the  door. 

Such,  then,  were  the  houses  in  which  our  fathers  lived  when  they 
were  obliged  to  confine  their  habitations  to  city  lots.  They  may  be 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


20 


taken  as  dating  from  1830,  and  any  inquiry  that  we  have  to  make  into 
the  later  development  of  the  American  city  plans  will  begin  with  1850, 
leaving  between  these  two  dates  a space  of  time  great  enough  to  form 
a visible  boundary  between  the  plans  of  the  old  time  and  the  plans  of 
the  new  time.  In  dealing  with  modern  plans,  we  have  to  consider  a 
much  more  self-conscious  and  deliberate  epoch  than  that  which  went 
before.  As  writers  of  the  history  of  the  grander  forms  of  architecture 
draw  a sharp  line  between  all  the  styles  existing  previous  to  the 
classic  revival  of  the  fifteenth  century  and  those  that  have  succeeded 
it,  that  line  separating  the  unconscious  and,  so  to  speak,  aboriginal 
styles  of  architecture  from  the  deliberately  worked-up  and  thought- 
out  styles  that  we  know  as  modern,  so,  in  dealing  with  these  Amer- 
ican house  plans,  wo  must  separate  rather  sharply  the  simple  plans 
of  our  ancestors  from  the  modern  ones,  supposed  to  be  the  delib- 
erately worked-out  conceptions  of  their  authors. 

Let  us  hasten  to  say  that  this  last  theory  is  not  yet  completely 
realized.  New  York  is  held  back  by  a half-and-half  adoption  of  the 
modern  idea.  Boston  is  wiser  or  more  fortunate  in  this,  that  the 
modern  idea  is  more  faithfully  followed  up.  In  Boston,  the  man  of 
some  means,  who  wishes  to  have  a house,  employs  an  architect  whom 
he  considers  the  most  intelligent  or  the  most  agreeable,  and  builds 
his  house  ; in  New  York,  the  man,  even  of  wealth,  goes  with  his  wife 
to  look  at  ready-made  houses,  and  accepts,  buys,  and  pays  for  the 
one  which  is  the  least  objectionable.  In  other  words,  the  Boston 
man  has  his  clothes  carefully  made  for  him  by  a tailor  whom  he 
thinks  skilful : the  New  York  man  buys  his  clothes  ready-made. 
Oddly  enough,  this  comparison,  if  taken  literally,  is  the  reverse  of 
true  ; for  the  New  York  man  is  notoriously  the  most  carefully  dressed 
man  on  the  continent,  and  has,  as  Mark  Twain  says,  “ a godless  grace 
and  snap  and  style  ” about  himself  and  his  dress  which  the  people  of 
other  communities  find  it  impossible  to  reproduce  ; but  in  building — - 
except  in  the  obviously  exceptional  case  of  palaces — elegance,  com- 
fort, and  a careful  adaptation  of  means  to  an  end,  are  less  studied  in 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


21 


Brick  House,  corner  of  East  Sixty-eighth  Street  and  Park  Avenue,  New  York,  built  about  1880, 

(A  good  example  of  appropriate  architectural  effect  produced  without  sculptured  ornament  or  expensive 

stone-cutting.) 


New  York  than  in  any  other  community  which  can  in  any  respect  be 
compared  with  it. 

The  modern  New  York  house  in  its  original  state  is,  of  course,  the 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


simple  house,  Plan  1,  with  the  addition  of  a back  room  and  a vesti- 
bule. The  back  room  was  called  the  “ third  room,”  the  “tea-room,” 
and  often  the  “ extension.”  Originally  this  room  formed  really  a one- 
story  extension,  and  was  most  commonly  built  as  an  after-tliouglit 
and  an  addition  to  the  house  as  at  first  planned.  The  next  step  was 

to  include  such  a room  as  this  in  the  house 
as  originally  conceived.  Plan  9 shows  this 
change  and  shows  also  the  step  that  imme- 
diately and  inevitably  followed,  namely,  the 
abandonment  of  the  division  wall  between  the 
two  parlors,  and  the  substitution  for  it  of  a 
screen  of  columns.  One  great  reason  for  this 
change  was  the  disagreeable  effect  of  a room 
with  no  windows.  By  doing  away  with  the 
wall  between  the  front  and  the  back  parlor, 
the  two  parlors  became  one  room,  and  there 
was  no  longer  a room  without  a window  ; but 
an  obvious  improvement  upon  this  was  to  do 
away  with  the  screen  of  columns  also,  and  to 
substitute  either  a transom,  or  a slightly  indi- 
cated arch,  across  the  long  and  narrow  parlor  ; 
which  arch  or  transom,  in  its  turn,  disappeared, 
and  the  Avliole  space  was  treated  as  a single 
room,  having  probably  a single  fireplace  in  the 
middle  of  the  wall,  and  perhaps  a single  door- 
way from  the  entry.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
show  these  different  steps  in  separate  cuts.  In  all  of  them  the  back 
room  is  prepared  for  use  as  a dining-room,  and  that  part  of  the  hall 
or  entry  which  is  enclosed,  next  adjoining  it,  is  fitted  with  a dumb- 
waiter and  cupboards,  so  as  to  answer  for  a small  service-room,  or, 
as  it  is  called  in  New  York,  a butler’s  pantry. 

The  depth  of  the  house  thus  obtained  would  have  been  fifty-seven 
or  fifty-eight  feet  if  the  full  length  of  the  old  parlors  had  been  re- 


Plan  9. — New  York  House,  1860, 
Ground  Floor  Plan. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


23 


tained ; but  it  lias  often  happened  that  the  one  long  parlor  which  has 
succeeded  them  is  shortened  from  forty  to  thirty-four  feet,  or  even 
less,  so  that,  with  a back  room  fifteen  feet  wide,  the  house,  with  its 
walls,  is  brought  within  fifty  feet.  This  is  a reasonable  depth,  leav- 
ing a satisfactory  back  yard  ; and  this  depth  is  carried  up  for  the  full 
height  of  the  house.  There  appeared,  contemporaneously  with  these 
changes  in  the  main  floor,  the  common  addition  of  a third  story  of 
bedrooms,  making  what  would  have  • been  called  forty  years  ago  a 
three-story -and- attic  house,  but  which  we  call  to-day,  more  simply 
and  naturally,  a four-story  house.  These  two  changes,  coming  to- 
gether as  they  did,  raised  the  price  of  New  York  houses  considerably, 
for  there  were  no  houses  constructed  on  the  older  and  simple  plan,  or 
almost  none.  To  find  the  seven-thousand  dollar  or  eight-thousand- 
dollar  house  of  1850  and  later  years,  one  has  to  take  either  a house 
sixteen  feet  wide  or  even  twelve  and  a half  feet  wide,  or  less,  or  else 
go  far  afield.  It  has  been  extremely  difficult  to  get  a house  for  a rea- 
sonable price  or  a reasonable  rent  in  New  York,  and  the  reason  for 
that  is  obvious : space  is  so  much  in  demand  for  houses  that  will 
bring  $20,000,  and  over,  that  it  is  found  far  more  profitable  to  provide 
such  houses  than  smaller  ones,  except,  of  course,  in  the  forgotten  parts 
of  the  city,  where  persons  with  any  pretensions  to  a claim  to  polite 
society  do  not  wish  to  live. 

There  was,  however,  a good  deal  of  sense  in  this  ground-floor 
plan,  and  it  maintained  itself  for  thirty  years  as  almost  the  only  pat- 
tern for  houses  worth,  with  the  land,  from  $20,000  to  $35,000.  The 
plan  of  the  bedroom  floor  of  such  a house  was  also  very  sensible  and 
reasonable,  when  there  was  not  too  eager  an  attempt  to  get  a great 
many  bedrooms,  resulting  in  the  use  for  that  purpose  of  some  rooms 
not  properly  lighted.  For  a family  not  too  large  for  the  house  no  plan 
is  likely  to  be  better  than  the  one  shown  in  Plan  10,  where  a large 
bedroom  at  the  front  and  a large  bedroom  at  the  back  are  at  once  di- 
vided and  connected  by  a passage-way  with  cupboards  on  each  side, 
each  room  having  also  a separate  large  closet,  in  which  a water-supply 


21 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


jot 


1 


can  easily  be  arranged  and  often  is  provided. 
The  two  smaller  rooms  can  be  used  either  as 
two  bedrooms,  or  one  of  them  as  a sitting- 
room,  sewing -room,  or  the  like.  In  plans  of 
this  simple  kind  one  of  these  rooms,  and  per- 
haps one  on  the  third  bedroom  floor,  is  used 
for  a bathroom,  as  indeed  Plan  10  shows. 
When  the  house  is  somewhat  deeper,  and  the 
space  between  the  two  large  bedrooms  thereby 
increased,  the  bathroom  is  often  put  in  the 
middle  of  the  house  be- 
tween the  closets  which 


Plan  10. — New  York  House, 
I860,  Second  Floor. 


connect  the  large  bed- 
rooms. In  this  case  a 
light-shaft  from  the  roof 
gives  light 


and  ventila- 


tion. 


These  light  - shafts 


have  been  interfered  with  by  the  recent  New 
York  building  laws,  as  indeed  there  was  reason, 
for  they  are  a terrible  danger  on  account  of  their 
adaptedness  to  serve  as  Hues  for  spreading  fire 
rapidly  from  floor  to  floor. 

One  of  the  most  approved  recent  modifica- 
tions of  this  arrangement  is  shown  in  Plan  11.* 
The  main  peculiarity  in  this  is  the  resolute  in- 
sistence on  something  in  the  way  of  a hall, 
which  shall  replace  the  long,  narrow  entrance- 
way called  by  that  name  by  former  generations. 
Out  of  this  square  hall  the  staircase  to  the  up- 
per stories  must  necessarily  lead,  and  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  screening  of  this  staircase 

* House  in  West  End  Avenue,  designed  by  Messrs.  Berg 
& Clark. 


Plan  11. — Modern  New  York 
House,  West  End  Avenue. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


25 


from  tlie  liall,  so  as  to  make  the  access  to  it  partly  private  from  at 
least  a part  of  the  house,  is  the  main  point  of  difference  among 
many  different  modern  houses.  In  some  an  ar- 
chitectural screen  is  arranged,  amounting  al- 
most to  a complete  partition,  so  that,  unless 
doors  are  left  open,  the  staircase  is  in  an 
apartment  by  itself ; in  others,  as  in  the  one 
before  us,  this  separation  is  effected  by  means 
of  an  open  arcade,  or  row  of  columns,  with 
curtains  which  can  be  adjusted  at  pleasure. 

Whether  this  plan  is  agreeable  or  not  in  daily 
use,  depends  on  the  habits  of  the  family.  It 
seems  to  be  founded  largely  upon  the  idea  that 
a hall  and  staircase  should  be  handsome  and 
spacious,  and  that  a house  that  has  not  a hand- 
some and  spacious  hall  and  staircase  is  an  in- 
ferior one.  This  theory  cannot  be  maintained 
in  all  cases.  It  may  often  be  better  to  reduce 
the  entrance-way  and  the  staircase  to  the  nar- 
rowest and  humblest  dimensions  reconcilable 
with  convenience,  in  order  that  the  rooms  ac- 
tually lived  in  may  be  the  larger.  It  is  a quite 
defensible  proposition  that  passage-ways  and 
stairways  need  only  be  wide  enough  to  make 
the  moving  of  furniture  into  and  out  of  the 
house  practicable,  and  that  every  available  inch 
of  room  should  be  put  into  rooms  which  are 
capable  of  being  wholly  shut  off  from  the  pas- 
sages. The  square  hall  in  the  middle  of  the 
house,  as  it  has  been  introduced  into  such  New  York  houses  as 
cost,  with  the  land,  from  $20,000  to  $35,000,  is  certainly  open  to  the 
objection  that  it  is  not  a comfortable  or  agreeable  sitting-room,  be- 
cause too  public  and  because  not  easily  made  warm,  while,  on  the 


Plan  12. — First  Floor  of  House  in 
Eighty-first  Street,  New  York. 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


other  hand,  it  is  alto- 
gether unnecessary  as  a 
means  of  communication 
between  more  secluded 
and  more  pleasant  apart- 
ments. It  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  the  whole 
scheme  will  be  aban- 
doned, as  a temporary 
“ fad,”  or  whether  modi- 
fications can  be  intro- 
duced into  it  which  will 
make  it  a permanent  feat- 
ure of  our  residences. 

Plan  12  shows  a house 
which  occupies  nearly  the 
whole  of  its  liundred-foot 
lot.*  The  arrangements 
by  which  the  four  rooms 
en  suite  are  made  all  ac- 
cessible and  convenient, 
whether  used  separately 
or  together,  are  certainly 
excellent,  nor  is  it  easy 
to  see  liow  the  ground 
can  be  used  to  better 
advantage. 

Before  leaving  the 
consideration  of  these 


* House  in  West  Eighty  - 
first  Street,  fronting  on  Man- 
iuse  in  East  Thirty-third  Street,  New  York.  liattan  Square,  MeSSl’S.  Berg 

& Clark,  architects. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


27 


twenty-five-foot  and  twenty-two-foot  houses,  standing  in  the  middle 
of  blocks,  reference  must  be  made  to  our  illustrations,  which  give  the 
fronts  of  such  houses  as  these. 

Thus,  the  picture  on  p.  26  shows 
a very  original  and  certainly  ef- 
fective fa§ade,  executed  in  light 
yellow  brick,  with  the  entire 
frame-work  and  architectural  set- 
ting of  the  windows  in  terra  cotta, 
a few  shades  darker  than  the  color 
of  the  walls.  The  picture  on  this 
page  gives  an  admirable  design; 
one  of  the  most  simple  and  yet 
effective  and  spirited  fronts  which 
New  York  can  show.  The  pict- 
ure on  p.  28  shows  one  section 
or  bay  of  the  well-known  row 
of  houses  in  Lafayette  Place ; 
this  is  of  the  old  and  almost  for- 
gotten New  York,  and  contrasts 
with  the  very  recently  built  ex- 
teriors. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  until 
very  much  greater  familiarity  with 
the  possibilities  of  our  narrow 
fronts  has  been  gained  by  close 
and  minute  study  of  their  deco- 
rative treatment  by  our  architects, 
severe  restraint  and  an  almost 
complete  abstinence  from  elabo- 
rate ornament  form  the  only  safe 

course  to  pursue.  Not  only  architectural  sculpture  in  the  strict 
sense  is  to  be  avoided,  until  it  has  been  much  more  thoroughly  studied 


House  in  East  Forty-ninth  Street,  New  York. 


28 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


than  our  architects  have  yet  been  able  to  study  it,  but  larger  features, 
such  as  bay-windows,  porches,  and  the  like,  which  are  matters  of 

course,  and  which  every  owner 
thinks  he  can  have  if  he  can 
pay  for  them — even  these  are 
dangerous  things,  and  are  apt 
to  ruin  the  fronts  in  which 
they  are  embodied.  The 
front  given  in  the  Forty-ninth 
Street  house,  on  p.  27  seems 
to  answer  all  the  require- 
ments of  the  case  : it  is  rich 
and  complete  looking,  it  ar- 
gues care  and  thought  on  the 
part  of  the  designer,  and  no 
improper  parsimony  on  the 
part  of  the  owner  ; and  there 
is  nothing  attempted  in  it 
which  our  designers  do  not 
thoroughly  understand  or 
which  our  workmen  are  un- 
able to  execute. 

The  subject  of  corner 
houses  must  be  touched  upon 
briefly.  Where  the  entrance 
is  in  the  narrower  front,  the 
house  is  not  very  unlike  a 
house  which  is  wedged  in 
between  two  others,  the  only  important  difference  being  that  the 
rooms  can  be  lighted  from  the  side,  and  some  slight  improve- 
ments are  thus  rendered  easy ; but  it  is  rather  the  custom  of  late 
years  in  New  York  to  enter  such  corner  houses  in  the  middle  of 


_v~. 


Old  New  York  Houses,  now  the  Colonnade  Hotel,  Lafayette 
Place,  New  York. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


29 


the  wider  front ; and  this  brings  up  the  difficulty  alluded  to  above 
of  separating  the  two  main  parts  of  the  house  too  decidedly  one  from 
another ; Avith  the  added  inconvenience  of  direct  entrance  from  the 
street  into  the  separating  hall.  Elegant  corner  houses,  twenty-five 
feet  by  sixty  and  thereabouts,  are  spoiled  by  having  the  hall  carried 
athwart  them  for  nearly  their  Avliole  width,  cutting  off  one-half  of  the 
large  rooms  of  the  principal  floor  from  the  other  half  by  a strip  of 
passage-way,  Avhich  it  is  indeed  customary  to  consider  as  part  of  the 
available  space  for  guests,  but  which  is  in  reality  liable  to  sudden  in- 
vasion from  out  of  doors.  The  liigh-stoop  house,  with  which  New 
York  is  afflicted  for  its  sins,  shows  perhaps  more  of  its  awkwardness 
here  than  in  the  houses  entered  at  one  end.  When  an  entertainment 
is  going  on,  especially  if  it  is  a large  one,  Avhen  the  company  rather 
crowds  the  house,  the  guests  who  arrive  must 
pass  through  the  already  assembled  company, 
and  gain  their  dressing-rooms  as  best  they  may ; 
and  in  like  manner  those  guests  who  may  wish 
to  depart  early  have  the  gauntlet  to  run  once 
more.  This,  which  Avas  bad  in  the  old  houses, 
is  Avorse  in  the  neAv.  Custom  has  made  it  a 
matter  of  course  to  pass,  in  Avet  and  bedraggled 
out-of-door  garments,  through  a full-dressed  as- 
semblage, but  it  is  none  the  less  a solecism. 

Plan  13  * shows  what  must  be  a delightful 
house  to  live  in ; and  the  staircase  here  is  re- 
tired enough  to  make  it  much  better  for  daily 
use  than  it  would  be  if  open  to  the  entrance- 
hall  ; but  here  there  is  still  no  remedy  provided 
for  that  awkward  arrival  and  departure  of  guests, 
threading  their  tortuous  way  through  a crowded 
party.  Really,  our  wealthy  NeAV  Yorkers  ought 
to  remember  that  their  houses  are  not  to  live  in  only.  They  are  to 
* House  on  West  End  Avenue,  Babb,  Cook  & Willard,  architects. 


Plan  13. — Corner  House  on  West 
End  Avenue.  New  York. 


30 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


“ entertain  ” in  too,  and  that  to  an  extent  hardly  reconcilable  with 
right  reason.  If,  therefore,  the  thronged  receptions  and  dancing-par- 
ties are  to  be  made  as  agreeable  as  their  nature  allows,  the  houses 
must  really  be  planned  with  some  regard  to  tlieh'  requirements. 

But,  apart  from  this,  what  a good  plan  we  have  here,  and  how 
charming  in  its  simplicity  is  the  exterior,  shown  in  the  picture  on  the 
opposite  page.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  paper  to  dwell  upon  de- 
tails, else  there  would  be  many  things  to  praise  in  this  design ; but 
mention  must  be  made  at  least  of  the  treatment 
of  all  the  faces  as  parts  of  the  same  design — 
front,  side,  and  rear  all  of  the  same  material 
and  treated  in  the  same  fashion.  It  is  an  ele- 
mentary truth  that  a corner  house  will  not  be  a 
good  design  if  it  has  a “front  ” faced  with  ash- 
lar, a “ gable  ” or  end  wall  faced  with  Philadel- 
phia brick,  and  a rear  wall  of  cheaper  brick ; 
and  yet  sumptuous  houses  are  built  on  that 
principle  to-day. 

Plan  14  * shows  a simple  remedy  for  some  of 
the  troubles  we  have  been  considering,  namely, 
a staircase,  narrow,  but  sufficiently  easy  and 
spacious  for  the  purpose,  carried  up  direct  from 
the  vestibule  of  the  front  door  to  the  second 
story,  and  equally  capable  of  being  carried  down 
to  the  basement.  By  means  of  this,  both  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  on  arriving  at  the  house,  may  go 
direct  to  the  dressing-rooms  provided  for  them. 
A very  slight  extension  of  the  plan  would  allow 
of  an  elevator  having  the  same  relation  to  the 
first  and  second  stories ; but,  as  to  the  stair- 
case, it  is  to  be  observed  that  such  a ready  communication  as  this  be- 
tween the  front  door  and  the  upper  and  lower  stories  is  desirable  on 
* House  in  Fifth  Avenue,  designed  by  Robert  H.  Robertson,  architect. 


Plan  14. — House  in  Fifth  Ave- 
nue, New  York. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


31 


House  in  West  End  Avenue,  New  York. 

men  who  come,  wet  or  muclcly,  from  out-of-door  sports,  to  seek  their 
bedrooms  without  passing  up  the  great  staircase.  Such  accessories 
and  facilities  as  this  have  been  too  much  neglected  in  our  American 
houses  hitherto. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  real  difficulty  is  in  the  high- 


other  accounts  as  well.  A similar  feature  is  to  be  seen  in  large  Eng- 
lisli  country  houses,  where  what  is  called  the  “ bachelors’  stair  ” com- 
municates directly  from  out  of  doors  to  the  bedrooms  above,  enabling 


32 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COIN  TRY 


stoop  house  itself,  which  is  a survival  of  early  and  simpler  habits,  and 
should  have  been  abandoned  long  ago  for  all  city  dwellings.  There  is 
an  anomaly,  which  only  long  custom  blinds  us  to,  in  the  coming  of  a 
porter  with  a great  package  or  a messenger  boy  with  a note,  and  his 
waiting  for  ten  minutes,  while  an  answer  is  being  prepared,  within 
three  feet  of  the  door  which  opens  into  the  drawing-room,  which  may 
at  that  moment  be  devoted  to  a large  and  dressy  assembly.  It  is 
almost  equally  objectionable  during  the  hours  of  family  tranquillity ; 
though,  as  the  rooms  are  not  crowded  at  such  times,  the  door  of  com- 
munication can  be  shut.  There  may  be  a sufficient  reason  for  the  re- 
tention of  the  old  liigli-stoop  plan  in  small  houses,  in  which  there 
would  not  be  many  entertainments  held,  and  none  of  a ceremonious 
kind  ; but  the  moment  that  rich  men  begin  to  build  houses  for  their 
wives  and  daughters  to  use  in  costly  entertainment,  that  moment  the 
plan  should  have  been  abandoned  once  for  all.  Nothing  more  incon- 
gruous than  our  New  York  palaces,  of  which  the  first  notable  one 
was  the  marble  structure  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty- 
fourth  Street  has  ever  been  planned  or  erected.  They  are  in  almost 
all  respects  small  houses  looked  at  through  a magnifying  glass  ; the 
necessary  conditions  of  a stately  house,  a sort  of  palazzo,  have  hardly 
been  considered  in  them  ; the  American  citizen  whose  fortune  has  in- 
creased a hundredfold  builds  a house  perhaps  tenfold  larger  than 
he  would  otherwise  have  done,  but  in  other  respects  very  similar  to 
that  one  in  which  his  father  lived  in  days  of  comparative  poverty. 

In  closing  this  examination  it  will  be  well  to  show  at  least  one 
bold  departure  from  the  accepted  method  of  proceeding.  Plan  15 
shows  the  first  story,  and  a vertical  section  of  a house*  in  which 
many  of  the  disadvantages  of  our  ordinary  New  York  houses  are 
avoided.  The  treatment  of  the  front  and  back  building  in  intimate 
connection  with  one  another  below,  and  wholly  separate  above,  is  ex- 
cellent, and  reminds  the  student  of  two  very  dissimilar,  but  in  their 
way  equally  successful,  types,  namely,  that  of  the  German  and  the 

* House  designed  by  Thayer  & Robinson,  architects. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  EAST  AND  SOUTH 


Flemish  houses  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  a survival 
itself  of  an  earlier  form ; and  secondly,  that  of  a host  of  London 
houses,  of  which  one  of  the  best  instances  is  given  in  Mr.  Kerr’s 
book,  “ The  English  Gentleman's  House.”  In  the  English  scheme, 
the  back  building  contains  only  the  stables  on  the  ground  floor,  open- 
ing into  a mews  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  rooms  above  for  the 
coachman  and  stable  help,  while  the  main  building  in  front  has  seven 


available  stories,  namely,  the  ground  floor,  which  is  six  steps  above 
the  sidewalk  ; a basement  below  it,  of  which  only  a small  part  is  used 
for  cellarage  ; and  not  less  than  five  stories  above.  This,  however,  is 
a detail.  The  house  may  be  larger  or  smaller.  The  theory  of  giving 
light  to  all  the  rooms  by  cutting  a court  for  light  boldly  through  the 
house,  and  dividing  it  thus  into  a front  and  a rear  building,  is  one 
that  should  have  been  put  into  practice  before  this.  The  other  pecu- 
liarities in  the  house,  Plan  15,  need  study,  and  it  is  only  after  several 
such  houses  shall  have  been  built  that  these  can  be  judged  aright. 
Thus,  the  loggia  at  the  entrance  seems  to  us  a mistake,  not  likely  to 
be  useful,  and  certainly  objectionable  in  several  ways.  On  the  other 


34 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


hand,  the  placing  of  the  kitchen  above  the  dining-room  in  the  back 
building,  would  probably  work  very  well. 

Unfortunately,  it  is  not  New  York  that  will  solve  such  problems. 
The  custom  so  prevalent  in  that  city  of  building  houses  in  blocks,  and 
on  general  principles,  for  sale  to  whomsoever  will  buy,  is,  of  course, 
preclusive  of  any  originality  in  treatment,  or  of  the  application  of  any 
thought  and  skill  to  delicacy  of  plan  and  arrangement.  This  fashion 
is  in  every  way  hostile  to  the  best  interests  of  the  city.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  the  architect  to  plan  with  his  best  skill  when  he  has  to  pro- 
vide for,  not  a special  family,  with  peculiar  needs,  but  a general,  a 
possible  family,  of  tastes  which  cannot  be  foreseen.  To  plan  a house 
which  may  please  almost  anybody,  instead  of  a house  specially 
adapted  to  please  somebody,  is  forlorn  business.  As  for  good  build- 
ing, too,  it  has  been  ascertained  long  ago  that  solidly  built  houses 
cannot  be  made  profitable  to  him  who  builds  to  sell.  A certain 
popular  kind  of  elegance  pays  very  well  ; but  the  cost  of  solid  brick- 
work, well-built  flues,  extra  deep  floor-timbers,  and  the  like,  will  never 
come  back  to  the  man  who  has  invested  in  them.  And  as  for  the 
artistic  side  of  it  all,  a speculative  builder  is  not  a lover  of  good  archi- 
tectural ornament,  nor  does  he  believe  in  it ; and  he  is  right.  Good 
architectural  ornament  assuredly  will  never  pay. 

It  is  often  pointed  out  how  much  a city  is  injured  by  the  existence 
within  its  limits  of  a large  amount  of  leasehold  property  ; because 
houses  on  leased  ground  will  not  be  so  well  built  as  those  on  freehold 
ground.  But,  indeed,  houses  built  by  their  expectant  inhabitants  on 
leased  lots  would  be  far  better  for  New  York  than  houses  built  for 
sale  on  land  held  in  fee  simple.  The  one  thing  needful  is  that  rela- 
tion between  the  owner  and  his  property  and  between  the  owner  and 
the  architect  which  will  result  in  a house  specially  fitted  to  be  the 
home  of  its  owner’s  family,  and  of  such  general  design  and  ornamen- 
tation as  is  best  suited  to  the  plan.  The  architects  will  meet  their 
employers  more  than  half  way  ; but  the  initiative  must  come  from  the 
owner — from  the  man  who  wants  a house. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


By  JOHN  W.  BOOT  * 


HE  conditions  attending  the  development  of  architecture  in  the 


West  have  been,  in  almost  every  respect,  without  precedent. 
At  no  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  a community  covering  such 
vast  and  yet  homogeneous  territory  developed  with  such  amazing  ra- 
pidity, and  under  conditions  of  civilization  so  far  advanced.  Few 
times  in  history  have  ever  presented  so  impressive  a sight  as  this  re- 
sistless wave  of  progress,  its  farthermost  verge  crushing  down  prime- 
val obstacles  in  nature  and  desperate  resistance  from  the  inhabitants ; 
its  deeper  and  calmer  waters  teeming  with  life  and  full  of  promise 
more  significant  than  has  ever  yet  been  known.  Between  the  period  of 
conquest  and  the  period  of  realization  there  is  for  art  in  this  great 
development  a distinct  hiatus.  It  is  a long  time  full  of  deadness,  ex- 
cept of  physical  force,  then  a sudden  bursting  of  art  into  exuberant 
flower.  Up  to  a time  twenty  years  ago  every  energy  of  the  hardy 

* John  Wellborn  Root  was  born  in  Georgia,  January  10,  1850.  His  mind  proved 
rarely  endowed  artistically,  with  special  leanings  toward  architecture  and  music.  After 
being  graduated  at  the  University  of  New  York  he  studied  in  the  offices  of  architects  in 
New  York  and  Chicago.  (To  Chicago  he  removed  after  the  fire.)  In  1873  he  formed  a 
copartnership  with  Daniel  H.  Burnham,  a fellow-draughtsman,  becoming  the  designer  in 
the  new  firm  of  Burnham  & Root.  Mr.  Root  was  the  first  representative  in  Chicago  of 
the  new  movement  in  architecture,  and  was  compelled  to  do  much  pioneer  work  which 
did  not  fairly  express  him.  In  fact  his  numerous  commercial  structures  scarcely  gave 
congenial  opportunity  to  a mind  singularly  poetic,  and  he  was  just  grasping  the  finer 
chances  when  death  snatched  them  from  him.  Yet  his  office  buildings  attain  beauty 


36 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


pioneers  who  were  opening  the  vast  district  now  called  “ the  West  ” 
was  expended  in  the  most  rudimentary  work — that  demanded  by  self- 
protection and  self-support.  Even  now,  in  remoter  districts,  still 
sounds  the  Indian’s  war-whoop,  and  still  exists  something  of  those 
wild  and  barbaric  conditions  so  recently  conquered  farther  East. 

During  the  period  of  this  ceaseless  struggle  architecture,  as  we  un- 
derstand it,  was  not  thought  of ; and  the  most  primitive  log-hut 
served  for  shelter.  But  as  cities  began  to  spring  up,  the  “ balloon- 
framed ” wood  house  was  evolved.  This  early  type  of  dwelling  has 
made  the  growth  of  the  West  possible.  Frail  as  its  structure  seems 
to  be,  it  has  been  the  very  fortress  of  civilization,  withstanding  all 
assaults  of  heat  and  cold,  and  often  baffling  the  deadly  cyclone  where 
massive  structures  of  masonry  succumbed.  Nothing  could  be  more 
simple  than  its  skeleton.  Unlike  the  early  dwellings  of  wood  erected 
in  the  East,  no  expert  carpenter  was  needed — not  mortise  nor  tenon 
nor  other  mysteries  of  carpentry  interfered  with  the  swiftness  of  its 
growth.  A keg  of  nails,  some  two  by  four  inch  studs,  a few  cedar 

through  that  strict  adherence  to  structural  truth  which  was  the  cardinal  point  in  his 
creed  as  an  architect.  In  several — notably  the  Kansas  City  Board  of  Trade  and  the 
Woman’s  Temple  in  Chicago — the  commercial  idea  is  ennobled  by  a higher  aspiration, 
making  these  structures  among  the  most  beautiful  of  tall  commercial  buildings.  The 
first  Art  Institute,  now  occupied  by  the  Chicago  Club,  is  one  of  his  most  poetic  designs, 
and  numerous  private  dwellings  attest  the  delicacy  and  diversity  of  his  invention.  In 
the  autumn  of  1890  he  was  appointed  arcliitect-in-chief  of  the  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  in  conjunction  with  Olmsted  & Co.,  landscape  architects,  he  made  the  general 
design  for  the  grounds  and  buildings  at  Jackson  Park.  The  artistic  impulse  which 
achieved  the  beauty  of  the  Fair  was  due  to  Messrs.  Burnham  & Boot,  who  generously 
induced  the  directors  to  intrust  the  buildings  to  the  ablest  of  their  professional  compeers, 
and  thus  established  at  the  outset  the  national  character  of  the  great  enterprise.  Just 
before  the  first  meeting  of  this  board  of  architects  Mr.  Boot  fell  ill  of  pneumonia,  and 
died  January  15,  1891,  aged  forty-one.  He  was  a man  of  varied  gifts  and  great  personal 
magnetism,  a fluent  and  witty  speaker,  a facile  writer  in  prose  and  verse,  an  acute  critic, 
and  endowed  with  lovable  and  generous  qualities.  It  was  said  by  a famous  pianist  that 
“ A great  musician  was  lost  when  John  Boot  took  to  architecture  ; ” and  a great  archi- 
tect, an  artist  of  original  genius  and  rare  imaginative  power,  was  lost  to  America  by  his 
early  death. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


posts  for  foundations,  and  a lot  of  clapboards,  with  two  strong  arms 
to  wield  the  hammer  and  saw — these  only  were  needed,  and  these 
were  always  to  be  had.  For  no  sooner  did  the  yell  of  the  Indian  grow 
distant  upon  the  verge  of  the  prairie,  or  over  the  slope  of  the  hill, 
even  if  but  for  a few  days,  than  its  tierce  sound  was  followed  by  the 
drowsy  buzz  of  the  saw-mill.  Even  to-day  many  Western  cities,  not 
only  like  Chicago,  whose  earliest  growth  dates  back  fifty  years,  but 
like  Duluth,  Minneapolis,  Omaha,  and  others  of  later  growth,  are 
more  than  half  made  up  of  these  frame  houses.  In  Chicago  the  great 
West  Side  contains  thousands  of  them.  Their  life,  however,  is  now 
nearly  finished ; for  in  nearly  every  Western  city  of  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants  the  law  is  passed  that  within  city  limits 
no  wood  house  may  be  built ; so  that  the  next  five  years  will  see  their 
total  disappearance  in  favor  of  more  or  less  substantial  structures  of 
masonry. 

Thus  these  hardy  pioneers  of  architecture,  in  their  very  disappear- 
ance, do  architecture  some  service,  for  because  of  them  every  old 
Western  city  must  be  almost  entirely  rebuilt,  and  this  under  modern 
and  enlightened  auspices,  as  if  it  had  been  devastated  by  a great  fire 
or  cyclone.  This  is  clearly  an  advantage  to  architecture  and  to  civili- 
zation ; that  is,  it  may  be  a great  advantage  to  architecture  and  to  civ- 
ilization. It  certainly  presents  possibilities  to  the  architects  of  the 
West  such  as  have  never  been  given  to  any  other  group  of  men.  But 
with  these  advantages,  it  must  be  confessed,  are  disadvantages 
equally  palpable ; for  it  is  evident  that,  by  virtue  of  its  ephemeral 
character,  the  “ balloon-framed  ” house  must  in  nearly  all  cases  fail  to 
become  the  landmark,  venerated  for  itself,  the  embodiment  of  tradi- 
tion, a monument  to  the  conservatism  of  a city’s  history.  And  simi- 
larly it  can  never  become  a link  in  the  architectural  development  of 
the  country. 

With  the  increase  of  population,  wealth,  and  railroad  communica- 
tion this  early  dwelling,  still  retaining  its  essential  structure,  grew 
into  more  ambitious  expression.  Its  owner,  following  either  his  own 


38 


homes  nsr  city  and  country 


taste  or  tlie  equally  untrained  taste  of  the  most  available  carpenter  or 
“mill  man,”  adorned  it  with  all  sorts  of  “ornamental”  devices  in 
woodwork — open-work  scrolls  under  and  above  its  gables,  jig-sawed 
crestings  on  its  ridges,  and  wonderful  frostings  and  finials  on  its 
gables.  The  architraves  about  its  windows  were  no  longer  content  to 
be  of  simple  boards,  but  were  decorated  by  rosettes,  star-shaped  orna- 
ments, and  all  kinds  of  forms,  suggestive  of  nothing  so  much  as 
“ nudels  ” in  a German  soup.  The  clapboards  or  matched  ceiling 
covering  it  were  laid  in  all  directions,  sometimes  horizontally,  as  often 
diagonally  in  one  or  two  directions,  or  else  in  basket  fashion,  the 
joints  being  at  right  angels  with  each  other.  The  verandas  of  these 
houses  offered  best  opportunity  for  such  display,  and  here  jig-sawed 
railings  and  curiously  turned  or  chamfered  frosts  ran  riot. 

This  obvious  and  cheap  form  of  decoration,  by  which  a “ plain  ” 
house  was  made  “ tasty  ” or  “ modern  ” to  the  citizen,  persisted  for 
many  years.  In  wood,  it  was  applied  with  great  freedom  to  cornices 
and  porches  of  houses  built  otherwise  of  stone,  when  such  ambitious 
structures  first  began  to  appear;  and  forms  thus  originated  in  wood 
were  afterward  continued  in  metal,  or  even  in  stone  itself.  Perhaps 
this  fashion  gave  to  Western  city  houses  of  twenty  years  ago  a gayer 
but  less  substantial  appearance  than  was  presented  by  Eastern  houses 
of  the  same  kind. 

In  Chicago,  previous  to  the  great  fire  of  1871,  the  typical  city 
house,  whether  of  wood  or  stone,  or  of  both  combined  (for  often  a 
stone  front  was  but  a mask  covering  a structure  in  every  other  respect 
of  wood),  was  in  general  arrangement  not  unlike  the  corresponding 
house  in  New  York.  There  was  the  same  high  “ stoop  ” covering  the 
basement  entrance,  the  same  double  front  and  vestibule  doors  with 
their  transoms,  the  same  narrow  hallway  with  a straight  flight  of 
stairs  separated  from  the  entrance  only  by  space  for  the  hat-tree,  and 
the  front  and  rear  parlors  on  one  side,  sometimes  with  an  L in  the 
rear.  The  street  aspect  of  such  houses  was  different,  however,  in  that 
it  was,  as  it  has  been  said,  gayer  and  less  solid.  This  effect  was  pro- 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


39 


duced  partly  by  the  freedom  with  which  wood,  or  wood-like  stone  or 
metal  decorations  were  applied,  and  partly  because  the  stone  generally 
employed  was  a light  limestone,  turned  with  age  to  a beautiful  buff, 
somewhat  like  the  French  Caen  stone,  which  was  in  sharp  contrast 
with  the  dark  sandstone  so  commonly  employed  in  the  East. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  certain  wood-like  stone  decorations. 
One  who  has  not  seen  these  translations  of  wood  into  stone  cannot 
understand  how  strange  and  weirdly  interesting  they  were.  Thus,  for 
instance,  a large  dwelling  in  Chicago,  built  twenty  years  ago  at  a cost 
of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  is  so  designed  that  every 
person  not  informed  supposes  that  the  highly  ornate  cornice  is  of 
stone  and  the  equally  ornate  bay-windows  are  of  wood ; while  the 
reverse  is  the  case,  as  is  revealed  once  in  five  years  or  so  (when  the 
painter  is  called),  when  people  laboring  under  the  delusion  are  aston- 
ished to  find  a stone  cornice  being  painted  and  wood  bay-windows 
cleaned  with  water. 

Bay-windows  rvere,  and  still  remain,  a great  feature  of  Western 
city  houses.  Their  use  has  been  almost  universal ; sometimes  octag- 
onal, sometimes  square  or  segmental,  sometimes  round  placed  upon 
the  corner.  The  customary  form  twenty  years  ago,  in  Chicago  at 
least,  was  a segmental  bay,  carried  from  the  ground  up  to  the  top  of 
the  roof,  which  generally  embraced  three  stories,  this  with  the  high 
basement  being  the  maximum  height  of  dwelling  reached. 

Because  of  the  general  crudity  and  haste  of  things,  the  architectural 
methods  of  this  (to  the  West)  early  period  were  sometimes  very  re- 
markable. Complete  drawings  for  dwellings  to  cost,  say  ten  to  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  frequently  consisted  merely  of  plans  and  elevations 
drawn  on  a scale  of  one-quarter  inch  to  one  foot,  supplemented  by  full- 
size  sections  of  door  and  window  architraves  traced  upon  sheets  of 
fool’s-cap,  and  copied  from  the  published  catalogues  of  planing-mills. 
To  vary  the  profile  of  a moulding  from  these  published  catalogues  was, 
in  this  early  day,  considered  a species  of  crime,  because  it  entailed 
upon  the  manufacturer  the  cost  of  new  “ knives,”  and  the  old  mould- 


•±0 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


ings  were,  in  any  event,  good  enough  for  any  person  except  an 
architectural  prig.  The  width  of  these  architraves  and  the  number  of 
mouldings  used  to  form  them  were  in  direct  ratio  to  the  cost  of  the 
house  ; so  that  a very  costly  dwelling  Avould  have  a group  of  mould- 
ings about  its  doors  and  windows  aggregating  twelve,  or  often  fifteen 
inches  in  width,  these  being  sometimes  made  of  alternating  lines  of 
different  and  strongly  contrasted  hard- woods,  producing  a most  bizarre 
effect.  Such  an  important  feature  as  the  main-stairway,  with  its 
newels,  would  be,  in  the  specifications,  described  somewhat  as  follows 
(reference  again  being  had  to  the  published  catalogue)  : “ Main 

newel-post  in  front  hall  to  be  a twelve-inch  diameter  octagonal  newel, 
heavily  moulded,  and  enriched  top  and  bottom.  The  hand-rail  to  be 
a ‘ double  toad-back  ’ rail,  richly  moulded,  and  four  by  five  inches  in 
section  ; the  balusters  to  be  octagon  in  shape,  three  inches  in  diameter, 
and  heavily  moulded.”  Notice  the  size  of  these  things,  and  the 
splendor  suggested  by  the  constant  recurrence  of  the  word  “ heavily 
moulded.” 

Newspapers  in  these  early  days  contained  advertisements  of  houses 
for  sale,  which,  beyond  attractions  such  as  are  above  set  forth,  would 
be  stated  to  possess  “stationary  wash-basins  in  every  room”— this 
before  the  days  of  adequate  traps  and  ventilation.  And  yet  some  of 
the  purchasers  of  these  houses  and  some  of  their  families  did  not  die 
of  malaria. 

From  the  above  general  remarks  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Louis- 
ville must  be  somewhat  excepted.  These  cities  belong  as  much  to  the 
South  as  to  the  West.  They  began  an  earlier  development,  and  hence 
were  in  closer  touch  with  the  East  at  an  earlier  period  than  cities 
farther  north.  The  old  city  houses  peculiar  to  them  were,  for  this 
reason,  of  a much  more  conservative  type  than  existed  in  cities  like 
Chicago ; and  the  frame  house  had  not  with  them  acquired  the  same 
importance. 

The  Cincinnati  house  illustrated  on  the  opposite  page,  built  about 
twenty  years  ago,  with  its  simple  and  dignified  stone  front,  its  sur- 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


41 


that  the  Cincinnati  house  is  constructed  of  light  limestone,  while  those 
in  Boston  and  New  York  are  of  dark  sandstone.  I think  it  will  he 
considered  that  the  persistence  of  this  style  of  house  in  the  older  cities 
of  America  for  so  many  years  has  been  a very  remarkable  fact.  It  has 
dominated  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia  with  scarcely  a vari- 
ation ; and  yet,  in  view  of  much  of  the  work  now  being  done  in  these 
same  cities,  as  avcII  as  in  cities  of  the  West,  we  may  be  grateful  that 


rounding  stone  balustrades,  and  the  general  air  of  family  seclusion  and 
repose  is  a very  pleasant  object  to  gaze  upon,  strongly  reminding  one 
of  several  old  houses  on  Madison  Avenue  in  New  York,  and  of  some 
facing  the  Public  Gardens  in  Boston,  the  essential  difference  being 


42 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


the  style  was  more  inofiensive.  Beside  some  of  its  younger  brothers 
it  becomes  very  much  the  tine  gentleman. 

Both  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  are  cities  where,  although  summer 
weather  is  very  hot,  very  cold  weather  is  frequently  experienced  in 
winter.  It  seems  strange,  therefore,  that  a house  plan  [No.  1]  should 

be  so  largely  used  as  that  which  is 
published  herewith ; and  yet,  with 
all  the  inconvenience  attached  to 
the  absence  of  a hallway  leading  to 
the  rear  bedrooms,  this  plan  is  very 
common  in  both  cities. 

These  cities,  with  Louisville, 
have  architectural  traditions  and 
histories  extending  back,  as  we  have 
said,  much  farther  than  other  West- 
ern cities,  but  they  seldom  present 
objects  of  interest  for  the  purpose 
of  this  paper,  as  they  are,  in  the 
main,  in  direct  sympathy  with,  or 
direct  copies  of,  Eastern  work,  and 
present  few  aspects  of  local  or  typi- 
cal interest.  To  these  there  are  a 
few  exceptions.  In  Cincinnati  there 
is  an  old  one-story  dwelling,  built 
in  strongly  defined  Colonial  feel- 
ing, which  is  so  elegant  in  its  proportions  and  details,  so  refined 
in  its  entire  expression,  that  it  is  worth  a pilgrimage  to  see.  The 
Grecian  columns  of  the  portico,  with  their  strongly  accented  entases, 
and  the  general  treatment  of  cornice  and  window  architraves,  is 
strongly  suggestive  of  many  of  the  old  houses  about  New  Bedford 
and  Newburyport.  The  house  is  unfortunately  so  embowered  in  trees 
that  a photograph  of  a representative  kind  was  impossible  ; although, 
in  truth,  to  take  a photograph  of  such  a house  would  seem  almost  as 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


43 


impertinent  as  to  insult  a line  old  maid  by  capturing  her  picture  with 
a “ Kodak  ” without  her  knowledge. 

St.  Louis,  also,  has  in  several  of  the  older  streets  (Lucas  Place,  for 
instance)  two  or  three  old  dwellings  of  interest.  Two  I recall,  built 
of  buff  limestone,  which  have  with  age  turned  into  a lovely  scheme  of 
color,  varying  from  delicate  old  ivory  to  a rich  “ meerschaum  brown 
and  the  entire  surface  of  the  stone  is  encrusted  with  delicate  lichen 
and  other  vegetable  growth,  as  beautifully  and  minutely  traced  as  are 
the  needles  of  ice  first  formed  on  still  water. 

Chicago  possessed  a few  interesting  souvenirs  of  its  early  history ; 
but  these,  alas  ! went  with  the  great  fire  of  1871 ; and  scarcely  a rem- 
nant remains  ; and  of  these  few  not  one  has  been  spared  by  the  irrev- 
erent hand  of  progress. 

From  the  early  and  meagre  architectural  development  of  this  and 
other  Western  cities  the  present  state  is  vastly  removed.  Indeed, 
modern  Western  dwellings  seem  to  have  scarcely  a visible  trace  of  re- 
lationship to  these  earlier  types.  First,  let  it  be  noted  that  there  is 
in  Western  cities  a notable  absence,  compared  with  cities  in  the  East, 
of  houses  built  in  blocks.  The  reason  for  this  is  obvious.  Eastern 
cities  being  older,  were  begun  and  their  traditions  established  at  a 
time  when  their  citizens  were  more  interdependent,  and  facilities  for 
transportation  were  less  complete  than  now.  For  this  reason  they 
are  not  only  more  compactly  built,  but  ground  has  become  dearer 
than  in  the  West.  The  reverse  is  true  of  Western  cities,  and  the  re- 
sult is  that  residences  much  more  frequently  occupy  considerable 
space,  being  entirely  detached  from  other  houses  and  surrounded  by 
their  own  trees  and  lawns.  It  will  frequently  happen  that  a citizen 
imbued  with  characteristic  and  full  confidence  in  the  future  growth  of 
his  city  will  purchase  a large  tract  slightly  removed  from  the  business 
centre,  upon  which  he  will  build  his  home,  knowing  that  but  a short 
time  will  elapse  before  it  will  be  embraced  by  the  city  itself.  When 
this  occurs,  he  subdivides  and  sells  what  he  does  not  need,  reserving 


44 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


an  acre  or  two  for  liis  own  purposes.  The  frequency  of  this  kind  of 
thing  gives  Western  dwellings  a general  suburban  aspect,  removing 
them  from  the  class  of  city  houses  to  which  we  may  have  become 
accustomed.  This  suburban  effect  is  also  enhanced  by  the  extraordi- 
nary increase  in  the  variety  of  building  materials,  which,  coupled 
with  the  characteristic  Western  love  of  novelty,  often  leads  to  the 
erection  of  houses  as  different  in  material,  color,  and  treatment  as  is 
possible  to  conceive,  different  dwellings  in  the  same  street  being  as 
independent  of  each  other — often  as  apparently  hostile  as  if  separated 
by  wide  stretches  of  open  country. 

Nevertheless,  many  streets  thus  built  up  present  a superb  air  of 
space,  comfort,  and  even  luxury.  In  driving  through  these  streets  the 
eye  is  at  no  time  wearied  with  the  monotony  which  is  so  tiresome  in 
Fifth  Avenue  or  other  similar  streets  in  Eastern  cities,  but  is  every- 
where delighted  with  constant  change,  constant  appeal  to  new  senti- 
ment, and  that  delightful  sense  of  the  picturesque  which,  to  the 
stranger,  is  so  inspiriting.  Notable  among  such  streets  are  Euclid 
Avenue  in  Cleveland,  Avhere  the  splendid  residences  which  line  it  are 
often  set  back  as  much  as  two  or  three  hundred  feet  from  the  street ; 
Michigan  Boulevard  and  the  Lake  Shore  drive  in  Chicago,  superbly 
paved  streets  with  great  variety  of  interesting  outlook ; Prospect  and 
Grand  Avenues  in  Milwaukee,  the  first  overlooking  the  lake  from  a 
bluff  one  hundred  feet  high,  the  second  a magnificently  wooded  avenue 
two  hundred  feet  wide, ; and  several  avenues  in  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis, 
and  other  cities.  Occasionally  these  streets  are  laid  out  park-wise,  still 
further  accenting  this  suburban  aspect.  Such  are  to  be  found  in  St. 
Louis,  in  Van  Deventer  Place  ; in  Cincinnati,  in  Walnut  Hills  and  Clif- 
ton, where,  with  winding  roadways  and  magnificent  trees,  all  the  beauty 
of  the  country  is  brought  into  immediate  contact  with  city  life.  This 
rusticity  is  by  no  means  universal,  but  it  is  so  common  as  to  give  a dis- 
tinct quality  to  Western  cities,  and  by  contrast  to  impress  one,  in  older 
towns,  like  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  with  a certain  Eastern  flavor,  when 
passing  through  their  old,  solidly  and  uniformly  built-up  portions. 


TIIE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


45 


Even  where  dwellings  occur  solidly  built  into  blocks  there  is  an 
equally  distinctive  effect  produced  by  means  in  some  ways  identical 
with  those  used  in  detached  houses.  The  great  variety  of  building 
material  accessible,  freely  and  indiscriminately  employed  in  a block  of 
residences,  produces  at  times  an  effect  most  bizarre  and  startling. 
Such  blocks  attain  their  most  flamboyant  expression — if  “ all  which 
flams  is  flamboyant” — in  the  large  number  of  dwellings  built  by 
real-estate  speculators  for  sale.  The  inducement  in  Western  cities  to 
erect  such  houses,  because  of  the  wonderful  increase  in  real-estate 
values,  is  very  great ; while  the  temptation  to  catch  the  eye  of  the 
possible  purchaser  by  unknown  and  unheard-of  novelty  is  to  the 
builder  irresistible.  The  result  is  that  in  a block  constructed  with 
this  end  in  view,  one  house  may  be  of  red  sandstone,  the  next  of  gray, 
the  next  of  green,  and  so  on.  Meanwhile,  each  house  has  its  own  bays 
of  copper  ; its  own  cornice,  turrets,  and  other  “ fixings  ” of  galvanized 
iron ; its  own  carved  panels  of  terra-cotta ; which,  with  bands  of  pressed 
brick,  porches  of  wood,  aprons,  roofs,  and  “ rootlets  ” of  slate  and  tiles, 
make  up  an  oil  a podrida  most  trying  to  even  the  sturdiest  of  stomachs. 

Against  such  barbarism  a wholesome  reaction  has  set  in,  and  no- 
where may  simpler  and  more  honestly  built  dwellings  be  found  than 
many  now  erected  and  erecting  in  the  West.  It  may  be  prophesied 
with  certainty  that,  as  a result  of  the  architectural  movement  now  in 
progress,  Western  cities  like  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  Minne- 
apolis, Milwaukee,  and  many  others  will,  within  a short  time,  present 
streets  unrivalled  in  the  world  for  the  variety,  picturesqueness,  and 
beauty  of  their  domestic  architecture. 

In  this  chapter  no  reference  is  made  to  very  costly  dwellings.  These 
are  not  apt  to  be  illustrative  of  popular  taste  so  much  as  to  be  the 
representative  of  the  personal  taste  and  whim  of  the  owner  or  archi- 
tect, striving  to  impress  itself  by  splendor  or  idiosyncrasy  upon  those 
passers-by  who  might  otherwise  be  indifferent  or  untouched.  The 
illustrations  chosen  are  from  houses  of  moderate  expense,  costing  from 
ten  to  forty  thousand  dollars. 


4:0 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Perhaps,  since  the  interior  plan  of  the  house  is  its  vital  part,  from 
which  everything  else  grows,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a few  representa- 
tive plans  which  have  been  developed  in  Western 
houses.  In  the  growth  of  the  house-plan  from  the 
earlier  types  the  first  great  change  began  with  the 
hall.  This,  originally  a narrow  passage,  of  no  ser- 
vice for  living  and  with  few  possibilities  for  deco- 
rative treatment,  has  been  expanded,  and  made  of 
practical  value  in  several  ways,  becoming  not  only 
a large  and  picturesque  room  of  itself,  but  serving 
admirably  as  a general  re- 
ception-room or  rendezvous 
for  family  and  guests. 

Sometimes  this  reception- 
room  is  placed  upon  the 
street  level,  in  other  cases 
it  is  raised  above  the  street 
by  a number  of  steps,  which 
may  be  placed  either  within 
the  front  entrance  or  with- 
out it,  as  in  the  case  of  old- 
f ash io ned  “stoops.”  In 
small  houses  the  first  arrangement  presents 
obvious  advantages  (see  Plans  2 and  3).  The 
reception-hall  is  here  convenient  to  the  street, 
offering  that  immediate  shelter  to  the  guest 
which  in  rough  weather  is  so  desirable,  and 
the  opportunity  to  adjust  himself  before  meet- 
ing the  host  or  other  guests  who  may  have  al- 
ready arrived.  The  hall’s  remoteness  from  the 

main  or  living  portion  of  the  house  saves  those  within  from  the  noise 
and  draughts  incident  to  the  opening  of  the  hall-door.  This  arrange- 
ment also  leaves  the  living  story  in  much  more  available  shape,  es- 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  TIIE  WEST 


47 


pecially  in  the  front  room,  which  may  be  extended  the  foil  width  of 
the  house. 

Of  these  plans,  that  marked  No.  2 is  simpler  than  No.  3,  hut  less 
picturesque.  In  Plan  2 the 
reception -hall  has  a fireplace 
of  brick,  and  oak  floor  and 
oak  panelled  ceiling  ; a toilet- 
room  opens  from  it,  and  coat 
closet.  The  room  is  bright 
and  cosey,  presenting  a cheer- 
ful and  reassuring  aspect  to 
the  stranger  and  a homelike 
welcome  to  the  owner. 

Plan  3 is  very  ingenious  and  picturesque.  The  entrance  proper  is 
from  a loggia,  which  may  be  inclosed  in  winter,  and  in  this  plan  less 
stress  is  placed  upon  the  reception-room  in  the  rez-de-chaussie  than 
in  Plan  2.  The  hall  is  on  the  principal  floor,  and  gives  a very  pict- 
uresque view  of  the  stairs  and  the  other  rooms  about  it.  Its  disad- 
vantage is  in  the  fact  that  it  offers  no  seclusion  to  guests  arriving 
at  a reception  and  before  removing  their  wraps — a criticism  almost 
equally  true  of  Plans  4 and  5. 

The  hall  in  Plan  4 is  simple  and  obvious,  presenting  many  advan- 
tages of  convenience  and  beauty.  The  inconvenient  location  of  the 
stairs,  in  case  of  receptions,  has  been,  in  another  house  of  similar 
plan,  removed  by  enlarging  the  hall  somewhat  and  placing  the  stairs 
to  the  left  of  the  entrance,  doing  away  with  the  two  alcoves.  Wide 
windows  upon  the  stair-landing  between  the  first  and  second  stairs, 
together  with  groups  of  windows  in  the  opposite  or  north  wall,  give 
adequate  light  to  the  hall.  In  this  house  the  mantel  is  made  more 
monumental  in  design,  and  is  placed  nearly  opposite  the  entrance. 

The  hall  in  Plan  5 is  very  effective.  The  first  stair-landing  is 
placed  at  the  intersection  of  the  three  axes  of  the  adjacent  rooms,  so 
as  to  be  equally  visible  from  each  of  them,  and  to  present  a very  pict- 


48 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


uresque  glimpse  of  eacli  of  them,  and  by  this  means  some  very 
charming  effects  are  obtained.  It  will  be  seen  that  two  of  the  rooms 
present  a view  in  perspective,  so  that  the  front  and  sides  of  all  large 
pieces  of  furniture  are  equally  seen,  producing 
an  effect  somewhat  unusual  in  the  arrangement 
of  dwellings. 

In  the  growth  of  their  plans  Western  city 
houses  have  tended  also  toward  greater  enlarge- 
ment and  importance  of  the  living  and  dining- 
rooms, at  the  expense  of  the  parlor  and  recep- 
tion-rooms. Of  course,  reference  is  made  to 
houses  of  moderate  cost.  The  old  fashion,  in 
which  the  largest  and  brightest  rooms  were 
reserved  for  occasional  guests,  while  the  family 
lived  in  small  and  ill-lighted  apartments,  seems 
happily  over,  and  now  the  brightest  rooms,  con- 
taining the  most  picturesque  street  aspects,  will 
generally  be  found  to  be  rooms  of  commonest 
use.  The  few  plans  here  illustrated  suggest  this 
idea.  For  instance,  the  front  rooms  in  Plans  2 
and  3 are  living-rooms,  and  the  parlors  or  recep- 
tion-rooms are  the  small,  less  desirable  rooms  in 
the  centre  of  the  house.  The  library,  or  living- 
room,  in  Plan  5 is  the  octagonal  room  giving  a view  upon  the  street ; 
and  Plan  4 would  be  improved,  from  the  average  Western  stand-point, 
were  the  library  made  larger  and  the  drawing-room  smaller.  The 
words  “ library  ” and  “ living-room  ” are  made  interchangeable,  be- 
cause in  general  the  library  is  the  living-room,  which,  being  thus  made 
much  larger  than  other  rooms,  admits  of  treatment  much  freer  and 
broader  than  they.  Its  wealth  of  books  and  pictures,  bric-a-brac,  port- 
f< >lios ; its  roomy  tables  and  easy-chairs,  its  generous,  wide-tliroated 
fireplace,  the  general  air  of  profusion  and  informality,  revealing  some- 
thing of  the  true  character  of  the  occupant  to  be  brought  into  intimate 


House  in  Prairie  Avenue,  Chicago,  III. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


51 


contact  with,  which  is  so  delightful  to  the  guest — all  make  this  the 
attractive  room  of  the  house.  Here  is  the  focus  of  family  gatherings, 
the  inspiration  of  wit  and  good-fellowship,  and  the  opportunity  fully 
to  express  the  true  character  of  family  tastes  and  accomplishments. 

The  dining-room  has  also  greatly  gained  in  dignity  and  impor- 
tance, its  size,  shape,  aspect,  the  reception  of  the  morning  sunshine,  its 
coloring  and  entire  sentiment  are  all  carefully  considered. 

One  feature  in  the  plans  of  Western  city  dwellings  must  be  very 
clearly  defined.  This  is  their  openness.  Not  only  are  windows  upon 
the  average  larger  than  in  the  East,  but  they  are  more  frequent,  as  are 
also  bay-windows,  oriels,  etc.  ; while  in  the  general  plan  rooms  are 
more  closely  related,  openings  between  rooms  wider,  and  single  swing- 
ing-doors less  frequent.  Several  dwellings  in  Chicago — and  there  are 
many  in  other  Western  cities — have  no  doors  whatever  in  the  first 
story,  except  those  at  the  entrance  and  between  the  dining-room  and 
butler’s  pantry,  curtains  being  exclusively  used.  This  is  certainly 
carrying  out  the  idea  of  openness  to  the  extreme,  as  it  is  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  privacy,  and  of  all  those  suggestive  glimpses  upon  which  so 
much  of  the  artistic  effect  of  a house  depends. 

A small  room  has  intruded  itself  upon  many  Western  city  houses, 
which  should  be  lamented  equally  by  the  occupant  and  the  architect. 
This  is  a kind  of  office  or  den,  where  the  master  of  the  house  keeps  a 
desk  and  a few  facilities  for  the  transaction  of  business  after  hours 
are  over  in  which  business  should  be  transacted  ; for  in  the  enormous 
pressure  of  events  about  him  the  Western  man,  perhaps  even  more 
than  his  brother  in  the  East,  is  compelled  in  the  evenings  to  carry 
something  of  his  business  across  the  threshold  of  his  house. 

As  in  the  East,  that  chief  minister  to  the  ethical  side  of  the  family 
life,  the  fireplace,  has  steadily  grown  in  beauty  and  dignity,  until  now 
it  has  regained  something  of  the  supremacy  from  which  it  was  threat- 
ened with  dethronement  when  first  the  source  of  heat  and  comfort  was 
inaugurated  in  the  shape  of  a black  hole  in  the  floor.  It  is  now  apt  to 
be  most  generous  in  size,  wide  enough  for  a good  back  log,  and  richly 


52 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


adorned  with  marbles  or  tiles,  equipped  with  carefully  designed  tire- 
dogs,  fenders,  and  screens.  These  fireplaces  have  become  things  of 
service  as  well  as  things  of  beauty.  Woe  betide  the  hapless  architect 
who  builds  them  in  such  fashion  that  the  smoke  goes  the  wrong  way. 
No  felicitous  retort  may  save  him  ; no  soft  answer  can  turn  away 
wrath.  It  is  said  of  Richardson  that  a very  valuable  client  gave  him 
commission  to  build  for  him  a house  more  or  less  ideal,  the  ideally- 
ideal  feature  of  which  was  to  be  a grand,  guaranteed-not-to-smoke  din- 
ing-room fireplace.  All  architects  will  at  once  guess  that  this  fire- 
place performed  prodigies  in  the  way  of  smoking  out  the  inhabitants. 
At  the  house-warming  dinner,  at  which  Richardson  was  present,  every 
eye  had  wept  scalding  tears  because  of  it.  After  the  dinner  the  host 
turned  to  Richardson  and  said,  with  great  suavity,  “ Your  fireplace 
smokes  you  see ; ” and  Richardson  said,  “ Yes,  I see  it  does  ; but  don’t 
you  like  it  ? ” 

Take  the  subject  of  Western  city  house  plans  altogether,  it  will  be 
found  that  from  1874  to  within  a few  years  back  there  was  a tendency 
toward  all  sorts  of  ingenious  arrangements  producing  odd  and  startling 
effects  ; but  since  then  a reaction  has  set  in  toward  simpler  and  more 
practical  plans,  in  which  space,  light,  and  utility  supplant  mere  eccen- 
tricity. 

Viewed  from  without,  many  interesting  developments  will  be  no- 
ticed. 

Of  course  the  West  took  “ the  Queen  Anne  ” fever  with  alarming 
intensity.  It  was  just  at  the  tender  age  when  the  constitution  is  most 
sensitive  to  such  infantile  diseases,  and  during  its  prevalence  erup- 
tions of  all  sorts  came  out  in  the  most  extraordinary  way.  But  the 
youth  of  the  patient  was  in  its  favor  and  the  fever  fortunately  passed 
away,  and  now  manifests  itself  in  only  a few  cases,  such  as  were  men- 
tioned earlier  in  this  article.  H.  H.  Richardson  was  one  of  the  most 
efficient  physicians  in  working  the  cure,  for  under  his  influence  such 
architects  as  had  been  following  Norman  Shaw  (blindly  and  ignorant- 
ly, as  they  had  followed  him)  turned  from  him  and  began  to  follow 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


53 


the  American.  The  results  have  been  in  many  cases  very  happy,  al- 
though in  others  they  have  resulted  more  or  less  disastrously.  Rich- 
ardson’s influence  has  always  tended  to  make  architecture  more  simple 
and  direct,  and  it  has  led  architects  more  generally  to  avoid  the  hid- 
eous mass  of  shams  which  in  America  preceded  him.  Among  results 


House  on  Dearborn  Avenue,  Chicago,  III. 


upon  the  whole  fortunate  is  the  use  of  quarry -faced  stone  in  Western 
dwellings.  The  extent  to  which  this  has  been  done  in  nearly  every 
Western  city  is  extraordinary,  and  so  accustomed  to  stone  in  this 
shape  have  people  become  that  they  often  seem  unable  to  realize 
that  cut  stone  has  at  times  greater  artistic  value.  Many  dwellings 
constructed  in  this  rough  material  have  an  exceeding  heavy  and  for- 
bidding look,  arising  in  large  part  because  in  them  stone  has  been  em- 
ployed in  blocks  too  large  for  the  scale  of  the  building,  or  because 


54 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


granite  lias  been  used  whose  cleavage  lias  left  too  strongly  projecting 
and  rugged  surfaces.  This  was  a mistake  which  Richardson,  in  the 
few  Western  houses  he  has  designed,  has  avoided ; his  tine  sense  of 
scale  saving  him  from  such  an  error.  Still  it  must  be  confessed  that, 
because  of  the  great  vigor  and  masculinity  of  his  genius,  he  was  gen- 
erally more  successful  in  monumental  buildings  than  in  smaller  dwell- 
ings. His  blind  followers  have  often  failed  where  he  succeeded, 
because  they  were  denied  his  liner  sense. 

Successful  dwellings  constructed  of  this  material  are,  as  might  be 
inferred,  generally  very  simple  in  detail;  few  mouldings  are  used 
either  at  window- jambs  or  elsewhere ; even  arches  are  sparingly  em- 
ployed, and  carving  is  applied  very  temperately.  In  the  more  frequent 
examples  the  general  effect  is  simple,  dignified,  and  satisfactory.  The 
main  entrance  is  in  nearly  every  case  the  centre  of  the  entire  composi- 
tion, and  the  place  upon  which  is  bestowed  greatest  enrichment.  One 
of  the  most  satisfactory  of  these  dwellings  is  illustrated  on  p.  53. 
This  is  built  of  a reddish-brown  sandstone,  slightly  mottled  with  gray, 
and  having  a cleavage  not  too  rounded  for  satisfactory  wall  surfaces. 
The  general  composition  of  the  building  is  very  good,  and  the  door- 
way is  recessed  within  a well-sheltered  loggia.  The  general  mass  and 
color  of  the  building  is  altogether  pleasing. 

Among  the  abuses  arising  from  the  use  of  quarry-faced  stone  it  may 
be  well  to  mention  what  seems  to  be  a peculiarly  Western  institution, 
the  quarry-faced  column.  This  is  built  of  blocks  of  rough  stone  piled 
upon  each  other,  and  is  the  most  distressing  architectural  plague  since 
the  plagues  of  the  other  sort  in  Egypt.  The  stone  surfaces  never  come 
in  line  with  each  other,  the  column,  therefore,  never  seems  straight,  and 
the  joints,  being  all  recessed,  give  it  the  effect  of  a soft  bag  banded 
with  strings.  As  an  ideal  expression,  therefore,  of  absolute  instability 
it  is  among  all  architectural  forms  unrivalled. 

Cut  stone  has  been  employed  comparatively  seldom  in  the  West 
since  the  earlier  days  when  ashlar  was  largely  used  which  had  been 
put  upon  a rubbing-bed  and  brought  to  a perfectly  smooth  surface. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


55 


nearly  every  Western  city,  and  botli  are  manufactured  in  variety  prac- 
tically without  limit.  Bricks  of  every  conceivable  color  may  be  found, 
and  terra-cotta  to  harmonize  with  them.  I have  seen  bricks  manufact- 
ured in  the  West  having  the  exact  effect  of  green  mosses,  or  the  vari- 
ous tones  given  by  small  flowers  and  lichens  adhering  to  stone,  or  else 
having  surfaces  black  and  burnished  with  metallic  lustres. 

Such  material  as  this  opens  out  possibilities  for  color  treatment 


The  use  of  stone  in  more  vigorous  expression  has  almost  entirely  taken 
its  place.  The  rougher  dressing  of  stone  occurs  in  comparatively  few 
cases.  This  is  perhaps  partly  a matter  of  expense  and  partly  the  re- 
sult of  an  ephemeral  taste  which  may  change. 

Brick  and  terra-cotta  are  more  largely  employed  than  stone  work  in 


House  on  Dearborn  Avenue,  Chicago,  III. 


56 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


sucli  as  had  not  been  dreamed  of,  which  will  doubtless  be  productive 
of  many  startling  and  distressing  effects  before  architects  shall  have 
obtained  the  entire  mastery  of  this  nicest  of  all  arts,  the  art  of  color. 
Such  materials  have  contributed  largely  to  the  dwelling-house  develop- 
ment of  the  West. 

The  Dearborn  Avenue  house,  illustrated  on  p.  55,  is  built  of  brick 
and  terra-cotta  in  very  satisfactory  dull  red.  All  the  details  of  this 
house  are  modelled  with  singular  crispness  and  vigor,  and  the  fine 
rococo  sentiment  is  carefully  preserved.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
houses,  in  many  ways,  designed  for  a position  within  a continuous 
block,  in  Chicago. 

The  State  Street  dwelling,  on  p.  57,  is  built  of  Roman  bricks  of 
deep  brown,  with  lines  of  red  running  through  them,  and  the  terra- 
cotta is  made  in  the  same  general  coloring.  The  entire  effect  of  the 
wall  is  very  satisfactory  in  possessing  a singular  bloom  of  color  entirely 
different  and  much  richer  than  if  each  brick  in  the  wall  had  been  in  one 
tone.  This  house  has  a very  strong  colonial  feeling,  without  in  any 
way  servilely  following  the  Colonial  type. 

Bricks  are  used  in  the  Prairie  Avenue  house,  p.  49,  which  are  made 
of  fire-clay  burnt  to  vitrification.  Their  colors  are  warm  golden 
browns,  with  very  considerable  variety,  the  surface  being  slightly 
rough.  A more  pleasing  wall  it  will  be  difficult  to  conceive,  and 
the  bricks  so  burned  have  the  rare  advantage  of  being  impervious 
to  water  and  frost,  and  of  maintaining  their  color  and  quality  intact 
for  an  indefinite  period  of  time.  This  dwelling  illustrates  the  growth 
of  an  English  feeling  similar  to  that  shown  in  some  of  the  new 
London  houses  in  Cadogan  Square,  Harrington  Gardens,  and  else- 
where. 

The  Bellevue  Place  house  [p.  59]  is  built,  in  the  first  story,  of  red- 
dish-brown rough-faced  brick. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  West,  as  in  the  East,  the  roof  seems 
to  have  come  to  stay.  Its  frank  expression,  and  its  free  use  as  a most 
important  element  in  design  is  everywhere  seen.  This  is  most  promis- 


House  in  North  State  Street,  Chicago,  II!, 


$ 


59 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


ing  for  city  architect- 
ure, where  nothing  so 
much  adds  to  the  in- 
terest of  street  vistas 
as  outlines  of  high- 
pitched  and  well- 
modelled  roofs. 

Especial  attention 
is  called  to  the  St. 
Louis  dwelling  on  p. 
60.  This  is  of  such 
unusual  picturesque- 
uess,  and  is  so  simple 
and  direct  in  design 
as  to  be  thoroughly 
charming.  Nothing 
in  the  exterior  design 
is  adventitious  ; the 
design  grows  natural- 
ly out  of  the  plan. 
Notice  the  quaint  dig- 
nity of  the  whole,  and 
think  how  delightful 
would  be  the  aspect 
of  our  cities  if  such 
dwellings  as  this,  with 
their  varied  outlines 
of  roof  and  tower  and 
dormer,  the  strong  in- 
dividuality and  har- 
monious coloring 
were  more  frequent. 
This  dwelling  also 


House  in  Bellevue  Place,  Chicago,  III. 


60 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


House  in  St  Louis,  Mo. 


illustrates  how  largely  suburban  in  aspect  a true  city  house  may 
be. 


The  few  wooden  dwellings  which  are  illustrated  show  that  not 
yet  have  they  been  banished  from  Western  cities  ; ultimately  they 
wdl  be  confined  to  the  suburbs  or  the  country,  but  at  present  they 
often  form  agreeable  variations  to  the  general  street  aspect.  In  certain 
examples  they  show  that  the  influence  of  the  neo-Colonial  has  passed 
to  even  the  distant  West,  and  if  it  has  not  always  reached  its  point  of 
greatest  refinement,  it  still  shows  a vigor  of  thought  and  handling. 
The  Milwaukee  dwelling  [p.  61]  presents  some  novel  and  pleasing 
features,  especially  in  the  use  of  the  stucco  frieze  and  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  gables. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST  61 

San  Francisco  lias  had  a very  unusual  architectural  experience ; it 
has  been  more  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  country  than  almost  any 
other  of  our  cities  ; its  development,  therefore,  has  been  more  peculiarly 
its  own,  and  has  been  less  modified  by  contemporaneous  work  in 
Eastern  cities.  It  is  only  of  very  late  years  that  work  being  done  in 
the  East  has  strongly  modified  the  feeling  of  San  Francisco  architects. 
The  fear  of  earthquakes  has  caused  nearly  every  dwelling-house  to  be 
constructed  of  wood.  In  spite  of  this  fact,  little  seems  to  have  been 
done,  as  might  have  been  expected,  toward  developing  an  architecture 
of  wood.  All  sorts  of  architectural  styles,  originating  in  stone,  have 
been  adopted  bodily  in  wood,  with  scarcely  a change  in  the  original 
stone  expression  except  such  as  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  jointing 


House  in  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


62 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


of  a different  material.  California  and  other  parts  of  the  Pacific  coast 
are  blessed,  in  so  far  as  their  wood  houses  are  concerned,  in  their 
beautiful  red-wood.  This  is  a lovely  color  for  interior,  as  well  as 
exterior  work.  Its  effect,  when  used  outside  in  shingles  and  otherwise, 
and  treated  with  spar  varnish,  is  singularly  fine,  presenting  to  the  eye 
a fine  leathery  texture.  This  Avood  is  not  difficult  to  work,  and  when 
used  Avith  intelligence  and  discretion  should  be  made  to  contribute, 
to  a great  degree,  in  the  development  of  neAv  forms  of  design  in  Avood. 

The  houses  mentioned  above,  like  all  typical  Western  dwellings, 
are  better  finished  Avitliin  than  their  exterior  Avould  seem  to  indicate. 
The  reverse  of  this  is  seldom  true,  and  this  is  a good  deal  to  say  for 
the  certain  honesty  in  Western  cities,  where  the  occupant  of  the  house 
is  less  interested  in  making  a specious  display  to  his  neighbors  than 
in  acquiring  a solid  and  enduring  comfort  for  himself.  Native  hard- 
woods are  freely  used,  especially  Avliite  and  red  oak,  both  quartered  and 
plain.  These  woods  have  been  especially  popular ; their  beautiful 
grain  and  open  texture  lend  themselves  to  so  many  effects  of  color  that 
they  have  taken  the  place  of  other  Avood,  the  color  required  being 
imparted  to  them  by  filling  and  staining ; indeed,  their  use  has  become 
so  general  that  the  supply  threatens  to  be  exhausted,  and  their  market 
value  has  increased  during  the  last  f'eAv  years  nearly  double.  From 
California  come  several  beautiful — if  rather  showy — woods,  in  yelloAvs 
and  reds.  The  manilla-wood  from  the  coast  has  much  of  the  beauty 
of  mahogany,  Avith  its  deep  red  tones  and  waving  grain.  Curiously 
enough,  when  Ave  have  practically  abandoned  in  the  West  the  use  of 
American  black  walnut,  which  at  one  time  Avas  employed  far  more 
than  any  other  native  hard-wood,  and  are  now  beginning  to  use  so 
freely  the  English  oak,  the  very  “ swell  thing  ” in  England  seems  to  be 
to  abandon  the  use  of  their  beautiful  oak  anti  substitute  instead  our 
American  black  Avalnut. 

Much  more  may  be  said  of  the  interior  aspect  of  these  Western 
dAvellings,  which  is  as  varied  as  their  exterior  designs,  or  as  the  tem- 
perament and  social  position  and  disposition  of  the  occupant. 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  TIIE  WEST 


63 


Again  let  me  say,  that  between  the  character  of  the  occupant  and 
the  general  expression  of  the  dwelling  there  is  much  greater  similarity 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  country.  The  one  is  much  less  governed 
by  artificial  conditions  than  his  brother  in  the  East,  and  very  much 
more  freely  expresses  himself. 

A few  years  back,  and  contemporaneous  with  the  reign  of,  first, 
the  “ Victoria  Gothic  ” and  afterward  the  “ Queen  Anne,”  was  the 
reign  of  marvellous  wall-paper,  portieres,  bric-a-brac,  and  Eastlake 
furniture.  To  all  of  these  the  West  gave  swift  obedience.  Houses 
may  still  be  found  in  abundance  where  each  of  these  sovereigns  holds 
divided  sway  ; but  in  the  main  common-sense  has  won  the  day,  or  at 
least  other  and  less  artificial  fads  now  rule.  First  the  embroidered, 
carved,  painted,  cast  and  wrought  iron  crane,  who  so  long  stood  on 
one  leg  amid  surrounding  cat-tails,  has  died  ; the  death  was  pro- 
longed and  painful,  but  seems  finally  to  have  occurred.  After  this 
the  famous,  honestly  constructed,  glued-on,  mortice-and-tenon  furni- 
ture fell  to  pieces  and  went  to  the  cellar ; then,  as  intelligence  in- 
creased, the  people  began  to  purchase  pictures  of  interest  and  beauty, 
and  ceased  to  paste  pictures  of  no  interest  and  beauty  on  their  walls 
and  ceilings.  After  this  came  a yearning  for  more  sunlight  and  fresh 
air,  and  heavy  stuffs  were  largely  removed  from  doorways  and  win- 
dows, and  lighter  materials  substituted.  Last  of  all,  the  indiscriminate 
vase  and  plaque,  the  ubiquitous  display  of  cixps  and  saucers,  have 
given  way  to  temperateness  in  this  as  in  other  things.  Even 
“ stained  ” glass,  which  in  the  West  has  for  many  years  run  a most 
shameless  career,  has  grown  less  wild  and  uncivilized,  exchanging  its 
barbaric  hues  for  gentler  whites  and  opals. 

Take  it  altogether,  the  outlook  for  Western  city  houses  seems  most 
promising.  Western  people  themselves  are  becoming,  and  will  still 
more  become,  almost  ideal  clients.  It  is  true  that,  as  in  the  East, 
Western  city  dwellings  have  not  escaped  the  deadly  touch  of  the 
“ know-it-all  ” client,  nor  of  the  man  who  is  “ building  the  house  to 
suit  himself,”  nor  of  him  who  “ is  going  to  live  inside  the  house,  not 


64 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


outside,”  and  who  is  therefore  loftily  indifferent  to  the  street  aspect 
of  his  house ; but  each,  even  the  last  person,  is  becoming  infrequent. 
In  the  past,  and  to  some  degree  at  present,  Western  cities  have  been 
and  are  influenced  by  men  whose  lives  have  been  absorbed  by  things 
too  material  to  leave  them  much  leisure  for  art ; but  even  in  the  case 
of  such  men  there  is  a marked  indisposition  to  dictate  in  directions 
where  their  knowledge  is  incomplete.  They  have  a large  openness 
and  unbiased  attitude  of  mind,  and  a genuine  and  earnest  desire  to 
“ get  the  best.”  In  the  West  is  less  often  found  than  in  the  East  the 
“ aesthetic  crank,”  and  it  is  also  true  that  life  in  the  West  is  less  con- 
ventional, freer,  less  restrained  by  artificial  restrictions  than  in  older 
communities,  and  the  true  nature  of  people  and  things  is  perhaps 
more  frankly  expressed. 

All  of  these  conditions  are  helps  to  the  architect,  for  while  they 
free  him  from  such  artificialities  as  might  tend  to  hamper  him,  or  to 
make  his  work  more  formal,  they  give  wholesome  impetus  to  honest 
and  earnest  endeavor. 

Circumstances  are  also  such  that  the  architect  may  act  with  great 
catholicity.  Architectural  tradition  in  the  West  there  is  none.  Even 
from  such  practices  as  may  exist  in  the  East  the  West  will  often  hesi- 
tate to  borrow  ; and  among  the  various  Western  cities  marked  tenden- 
cies toward  divergence  not  only  from  the  East,  but  among  themselves, 
may  be  noted.  Thus  contemporaneous  work  in  St.  Paul  and  Minne- 
apolis will  differ  in  a marked  degree  from  similar  work  in  Omaha  or 
Denver ; and  the  dwelling-houses  now  erected  in  Chicago  have  marked 
peculiarities  not  to  be  found  in  other  cities.  These  variations  are  due 
to  great  differences  of  climate  and  customs,  as  well  as  to  differences 
of  temperament  among  both  clients  and  architects,  for  the  enormous 
size  of  “the  West”  must  be  borne  in  mind  when  considering  this 
great  architectural  development. 

Among  these  various  rival  cities  dominant  fads  in  architecture  are 
likely  to  become  less  common,  and  problems  will  be  more  generally 
determined  by  the  nature  of  the  case. 


House  in  Denver,  Col, 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


67 


The  rivalry  among  these  cities  is  a most  important  factor  in  the 
growth  of  domestic  as  well  as  commercial  architecture.  In  cases  like 
St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis,  every  move  of  either  city  is  watched  by  the 
other  with  keenest  interest,  and  every  structure  of  importance  erected 
in  one  city  becomes  only  the  standard  to  be  passed  by  the  other ; so 
that  not  only  is  it  their  ambition  to  excel  in  matters  of  population  and 
wealth,  but  also  in  the  splendor  and  prominence  of  their  architectural 
movement.  It  is  similar  with  individuals.  Men  who  in  many  cases 
began  their  careers  at  the  same  time,  who  perhaps  came  from  the 
same  Eastern  State,  who  have  together  succeeded  in  careers  which 
seem  but  integral  parts  of  the  great  developments  about  them,  have 
with  each  other  a very  earnest  but  generous  emulation,  and  exercise  a 
careful  scrutiny  each  of  the  action  of  the  other,  not  only  of  his  atti- 
tude and  actions  toward  the  social  world  but  toward  the  world  of  art ; 
and  the  result  will  inevitably  be  the  growth  of  better  and  more  whole- 
some art  feeling. 

In  the  beginning  instance  this  desire  to  surpass  begot  much  of  the 
meretriciousness  and  display  of  architectural  gewgaws. 

This,  however,  exists  no  longer.  No  men  travel  so  much  as  West- 
erners. The  distance  from  St.  Paul  to  Boston  is  less  than  one-fourtli 
the  distance  from  Boston  to  St.  Paul ; San  Francisco  men  drop  into 
Chicago  as  lightly  as  a Baltimore  man  would  into  New  York,  and 
every  one  of  these  men  knows  something  about  architecture.  Indeed, 
with  the  intimacy  enforced  upon  him  with  all  forms  of  building 
operations,  he  could  not  remain  ignorant  if  he  chose.  Wherever  he 
goes,  therefore,  his  eyes  are  wide  open,  and  lie  will  in  the  frankest 
way  express  opinions  on  So-and-So’s  dwelling  in  cities  far  East,  often 
in  Berlin  or  Vienna,  at  the  same  time  compare  them  with  dwellings 
more  familiar  to  him  and  nearer  home.  Such  conditions  are  certainly 
significant,  and  architecture  growing  up  among  them  cannot  fail  to  be 
vital. 

That  this  Western  architecture  is  vital  cannot  be  denied.  With 
all  its  crudity  begotten  of  ignorance,  but  more  often  begotten  of 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 

haste,  domestic  architecture  in  the  West  is  certainly  vigorous;  there 
can  be  no  question  of  its  insistence  upon  the  right  to  live.  And  with 
this  vitality  there  will  not  be  wanting  material  with  which  to  work. 


House  in  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Not  a day  passes  in  the  office  of  any  architect  of  active  practice  but 
specimens  are  brought  in  of  new  granite  quarried  in  Wisconsin,  new 
sandstones  from  Michigan,  ricolites  from  Mexico,  verd-antique  jaspers 
and  rich  marbles  from  Colorado  to  California.  There  is  an  equally 
steady  current  of  new  processes  for  art  metal- work  in  bronze  and  iron 


THE  CITY  HOUSE  IN  THE  WEST 


69 


of  mosaics  in  glass  and  marble,  of  rich  wall-coverings  in  leather,  stuffs, 
and  even  stamped  wood-pulp,  and  in  new  forms  of  beautiful  encaustic 
materials. 

The  forces  employed  in  producing  every  sort  of  material  intended 
for  use  in  constructing  and  adorning  buildings,  especially  dwelling- 
houses,  seems  infinite.  These  various  things  the  greater  adventure 
and  love  of  novelty  in  the  West  will  more  freely  use  than  will  the 
East,  with  consequences  both  for  better  and  worse.  But  disastrous 
experiments  remain  isolated,  since  nothing  is  truer  than  the  general 
sterility  of  bad  art  ventures ; the  successful  efforts  will  remain  and 
multiply. 

With  a wholesome  quality  of  mind  and  life  in  the  layman,  and 
with  imagination  and  discrimination  in  the  architect,  what  may  not 
our  domestic  architects  become  ? In  twenty  years  this  will  be  the 
richest  and  most  luxurious  country  ever  known  upon  the  globe.  Shall 
all  of  these  treasures  of  nature  and  of  art,  all  of  these  fostering  envi- 
ronments, result  in  architecture  splendid  in  material  conditions  alone, 
like  that  of  later  Rome,  or  shall  it  be  chiefly  distinguished,  with  all  its 
splendor,  by  the  earnestness,  vigor,  and  thoughtfulness  which  inspire 
the  whole  ? 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


By  BRUCE  PRICE 


TJPiING  the  last  century,  and  the  first  half  of  the  present  one, 


country  life  in  America  had  assumed  a popular  and  well-defined 


existence,  and  through  all  the  old  Atlantic  States  numerous  seats  and 
homes  had  been  built  that  were  distinctive  and  beautiful  in  character. 
Many  of  these,  upon  the  larger  estates  and  in  the  suburbs  of  the  great 
cities,  were  of  such  size  and  commanding  proportions  as  to  be  really 
mansions.  But  throughout  the  country  generally,  and  particularly  in 
and  about  the  important  towns  and  villages,  were  numerous  quiet  and 
well-designed  homes  resting  in  their  own  grounds. 

The  life  in  these  homes  during  this  period  was  quite  as  character- 
istic as  the  homes  themselves.  In  the  country  towns  of  Virginia, 
Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  New  England  States,  lived  a charm- 
ing people,  avIio  in  their  ample  way  dispensed  a broad  hospitality  and 
made  a society,  intelligent,  refined,  and  almost  chivalric  in  its  inter- 
course. But  the  progress  and  development  of  the  country  set  many 
influences  at  work  upon  the  disintegration  of  this  life.  The  spread  of 
the  great  cities  razed  many  of  the  fine  suburban  houses  ; the  division 
of  property  broke  up  the  country  estates  and  reduced  the  town’s. 
The  war  told  upon  both,  and  with  the  wider,  broader,  more  nervous 
life  that  followed  upon  the  restoration  of  peace,  the  old  life  soon 
became  almost  a myth.  Commerce,  business,  and  the  race  for  wealth 
at  once  engaged  the  whole  nation ; the  cities  filled  and  grew,  and  the 
country  fell  away  year  by  year. 


House  at  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y. 
(McKira,  Mead  & White,  Architect* 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


73 


The  fashion,  almost  universal  at  this  time  with  city  people,  was  to 
spend  a few  days,  or  weeks  at  most,  during  the  heated  term,  at  the 
great  hotels  of  “ the  springs,”  “ the  summer  resort,”  or  the  sea-shore. 
There  were  many,  of  course,  who,  loving  the  country,  sought  its  quiet, 
and  roughed  it  on  a farm,  and  a few  others  who  built,  and  passed  their 
stammers  in,  villas  in  the  suburban  country. 

But  from  the  whirl  and  heat  of  the  city,  the  summer  hotel,  with  its 
artificial  life  and  huddling  quarters,  was  a poor  resource,  and  early  in 
the  seventies  the  country  cottage — a cheap  frame  nondescript,  without 
cellar  or  plumbing— began  to  appear.  These  cottages  were  for  the 
most  part  very  simple  affairs,  built  with  steep  roofs  and  shallow  veran- 
das, and  called  Gothic.  They  were  the  forerunners  of  a movement 
that  took,  at  the  time,  the  form  almost  of  a craze.  Cramped  in  the 
confined  quarters  of  their  city  houses,  with  children  growing  up  about 
them,  numbers  looked  to  the  country  and  longed  for  some  place  where 
they  could  have  free  air  and  abundant  room.  The  fever  of  this  desire 
spread  like  an  epidemic  and  developed  the  epoch  of  the  suburban  villa 
cities,  with  amazing  results.  About  the  outlying  towns  near  the  great 
northern  cities  large  tracts  of  country  were  laid  out  in  villa  sites  and 
coursed  with  avenues  and  boulevards,  paved  and  curbed,  and  bordered 
with  sickly  infantile  elms  and  maples.  Block  upon  block  of  “ villas  ” 
sprang  up,  hideous  structures  of  wood,  covered  with  jig-sawed  work, 
with  high  stoops,  and  capped  with  the  lately  imported  so-called  French 
roof  ; all  standing  in  their  own  grounds  and  all  planned  upon  the  same 
motif — a city  house  planted  in  the  country.  The  traveller  nearing 
New  York  or  Philadelphia  went  through  acres  of  these  villas  in  all 
stages  of  progress,  from  the  raw  boards  to  the  gorgeous  primary  reds, 
yellows,  and  greens  in  which  their  cheap,  vulgar  details  were  glaringly 
set  off. 

These  villa  cities  were  short-lived ; the  Centennial  Exposition  at 
Philadelphia  soon  following,  brought  our  people  together  and  showed 
them  many  truths.  It  taught  them  that  back  of  all  the  uses  of  life 
there  could  be  art  in  everything.  One  beautiful  truth  fell  upon  many, 


71 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Colcott’s  group  of  English  cottages,  tlie  head-quarters  of  the  English 
Commission  to  the  Exposition,  built  in  half-timbered  and  shingled 
work,  revealed  how  lovely  a thing  a cottage  could  be  when  built  with 
artistic  intelligence.  The  influence  of  these  buildings  upon  both  the 
public  and  professional  mind  was,  at  the  time,  very  great.  They 
showed  us  not  only  tlie  ugliness  and  unfitness  of  the  French -roof  villa, 
but  taught  us  to  appreciate,  from  the  example  of  their  own  fitness,  the 
merit  and  beauty  of  our  national  work  about  us  on  all  sides.  Colcott, 
in  England,  for  his  inspiration  had  gone  back  to  the  best  period  of  his 
own  national  homos.  His  contemporaries  were  doing  the  same.  The 
good  of  the  old  was  being  revived  there ; and  soon  the  good  in  the  old 
with  us  was  sought  out  and  studied. 

Men  whose  paths  led  them  through  our  older  towns  could  not  but 
contrast  their  quiet  beauty  with  the  vulgar  incongruity  of  these  mush- 
room “ villa  cities.”  Their  broad,  turf-bordered  roads,  with  avenues 
of  great  trees  spanning  the  way  from  side  to  side  ; and  the  old  white 
houses,  simple  in  form,  refined  in  detail,  broad  and  generous  in  plan 
and  treatment ; with  the  yard  in  front,  the  garden  at  rear,  the  one 
filled  with  rose-trees,  oleanders,  rose-of-Sharon  bushes,  and  box-bor- 
dered walks,  the  other  with  fruit-trees  and  hedges,  and  garden-beds 
and  borders  of  hollyhocks  or  sunflowers.  Many,  going  into  the 
nearer  accessible  towns,  found  these  old  homes  and  made  them 
theirs ; while  others,  feeling  the  beauty  of  such  places,  built  upon 
their  lines. 

And  so  the  tide  turned.  The  migration  back  to  the  country  annu- 
ally became  greater  and  greater,  until  now,  whether  these  homes  are 
to  be  permanent  or  for  the  summer  only,  the  problem,  how  properly 
to  build  them,  is  a fixed  one  for  the  architect,  and  fills  his  thoughts 
and  crowds  his  boards.  Climate  and  habits  of  life  have  clearly 
marked  for  him  the  bounds  of  the  problem.  The  modest  cottage  of  a 
few  years  ago,  built  to  rough  it  in  through  the  hot  days  of  summer, 
gives  place  to  the  more  hospitable  home  of  to-day.  This  home  must 
be  snug  and  comfortable,  with  broad  hearth-stones  and  warm  walls  to 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


75 


shield  its  tenants  through  the  biting  days  of  autumn  and  winter.  The 
heat  of  summer  demands  shady  porches  and  wide  verandas ; the  cold 
of  winter  snug  corners  and  sunny  rooms — two  opposite  conditions  to 
be  reconciled  under  the  same  roof.  The  rooms  must  be  wide,  with 
through  drafts  inviting  the  cooling  winds  of  summer,  yet  low  studded 
and  shielded  against  the  blasts  of  winter.  The  house  must  be  ample 
for  summer  guests  and  summer  hospitality,  compact  for  the  family 
gathering  around  the  winter  fireside,  and  liome-like  at  all  times. 

And  these  homes — what  are  they  now  and  what  shall  they  be? 
Passing  them  in  review  we  have  a retrospect  of  about  seventeen  years. 
The  movement  taking  form,  as  we  have  seen,  about  the  Centennial 
year,  matured  as  we  know  it  to-day.  In  viewing  the  work  of  this 
period  it  is  not  to  the  point  to  consider  the  larger  establishments  of 
Newport,  Mount  Desert,  Lenox,  or  the  great  places  that  have  been 
raised  up  all  through  different  parts  of  the  country ; it  is  either  the 
permanent  home  or  the  summer  residence  of  the  man  of  moderately 
independent  means  that  interests  us — houses  costing  from  live  to 
twenty  thousand  dollars. 

In  all  this  work  the  scheme  of  the  plan,  whether  the  cost  be  of  the 
less  or  greater  amount,  is  now  almost  identical. 

The  ordinary  older  cottages,  those  of  a quarter  of  a century  ago, 
were  generally  planned  with  a single  entrance  facing  the  approach ; 
this  opened  from  a porch  into  a passage  rather  than  a hall,  with  the 
stairways  starting  a few  paces  within  and  running  straight  up  against 
the  side-wall  to  the  floor  above ; the  parlor  and  library  to  right  and 
left,  with  the  dining-room  beyond  the  one  and  the  kitchen  beyond  the 
other.  Between  the  last  two  came  the  butlery  and  servants’  stairs, 
and  the  back-door,  which  usually  in  the  family  life  of  the  occupants 
became  the  thoroughfare  to  and  from  the  house.  This, ' pure  and 
simple,  was  the  general  plan  from  which  the  house  of  to-day  started. 
Step  by  step  it  developed.  First  the  passage  was  attacked,  and  being- 
broadened  became  a hall ; the  staircase  fell  away  from  near  the  thresh- 
old to  a less  obtrusive  place,  with  landings  and  returns,  and  windows 


76 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  C0UNTR7 


opening  npon  them.  As  the  hall  grew,  the  parlor,  as  its  rises  and 
purposes  were  more  absorbed  by  the  hall,  became  of  less  importance. 
The  fireplace  became  a prominent  feature,  and  placed  in  the  hall  and 
more  elaborately  treated,  became  an  ingle-nook,  with  the  mantel  over 
it,  forming  an  imposing  cliiinney-piece.  Improving  thus  its  separate 
features  upon  the  old,  the  newer  plan  advanced  further  in  the  dispo- 
sition of  these  features.  The  new  hall  having  become  broad  and  am- 
ple, and  the  rendezvous  and  seat  of  the  home  life,  took  its  position  in 
the  most  desirable  place  in  the  advanced  plan.  The  house  grew  up 
about  it,  following  with  the  other  features  and  details  in  their  proper 
sequence,  until  now,  from  the  sum  of  all  that  has  been  done,  the 
resulting  general  plan,  with  its  controlling  conditions  of  site,  can  be 
adduced.  Resolving  these  conditions  of  site  again  into  general  con- 
ditions, the  result  of  both  is  this : to  plan  and  place  the  house  upon 
its  site  so  that  the  approach  and  entrance-door  shall  be  upon  one  side 
and  the  lawn  and  living-rooms  upon  the  opposite.  Stating  it  directly, 
the  best  work  enables  us  to  approach  by  a drive  upon  one  side,  alight 
at  an  entrance-porch,  enter  by  an  entrance-hall,  advance  thence  into 
the  hall,  and  through  it  out  upon  the  veranda,  and  so  on  upon  the 
lawn.  This  is  the  simple  result,  and  the  reason  is  as  simple.  The 
entrance  is  for  access  ; the  hall,  veranda,  lawn,  and  the  prospect  be- 
yond, belong  to  the  private  life  of  the  house.  Tradesmen  or  visitors, 
however  welcome,  cannot  be  dropped  into  the  midst  of  the  family 
group.  Even  the  welcome  guest  wishes  to  cross  the  threshold  and 
meet  the  outstretched  hand  and  cordial  greeting  within.  Even  Lib- 
erty Hall  must  have  its  defence. 

If  the  road  to  the  house  crosses  the  lawn  and  comes  at  once  upon 
the  hall,  veranda,  and  seat  of  the  home  life,  the  home  life  is  open  to 
intrusion  at  any  time.  And  so  it  is  important  to  keep  these  features 
separate. 

As  all  sites  are  not  alike,  so  all  plans  cannot  be  alike  ; but  know- 
ing the  site  and  studying  well  the  access  to  and  the  prospect  from  it, 
the  intelligent  architect  can  readily  arrange  his  plan  to  suit.  If  the 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


77 


approach  is  from  the  north,  and  the  site  falls  off  gradually  to  the 
south,  with  the  view  toward  that  quarter,  then  the  solution  of  the 
problem  is  simple  and  direct,  and  at  its  best.  The  house  is  placed 
well  to  the  northern  boundary,  leaving  it  sufficiently  away  from  the 
thoroughfare  to  insure  privacy  and  space  for  the  turn  of  the  drive. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  site  is  thus  given  to  the  lawn  upon  the 
south  side.  The  house  is  placed  with  its  long  axis  east  and  west,  its 
approach  and  entrance  upon  the  north  side,  its  living-rooms,  hall,  ve- 
randa, and  lawn  upon  the  south,  and  it  stands  thus  in  itself  a barrier 
between  the  turmoil  of  the  world  and  the  peace  and  privacy  within 
and  beyond  its  portals. 

If  the  site  commands  the  south,  and  the  approach  is  from  that 
quarter  also,  the  drive  must  be  thrown  to  the  east  or  west  extreme, 
and,  continuing  well  beyond  the  plane  of  the  house,  must  circle  either 
at  the  end  for  the  entrance  or  be  brought  fully  around  to  the  north 
side  and  the  entrance  made  there.  The  road  must  also  be  shielded 
with  plantations  and  shrubbery. 

Of  course,  apart  from  these  considerations  of  approach  and  out- 
look, every  site  has  its  other  conditions  of  exposure,  etc.  The  pre- 
vailing winds  in  summer  and  winter  must  be  studied.  It  may  have, 
upon  one  hand,  an  ugly  prospect,  or  upon  another,  a disagreeable 
neighbor ; there  ai’e  many  points,  in  fact,  to  be  carefully  weighed,  and 
many  characteristics  of  its  own  calling  for  skill  and  judgment.  But 
with  its  disadvantages  the  site  must  still  have  its  good  points,  or  it  is 
not  a site,  and  as  the  architect  overcomes  the  former  and  avails  of  the 
latter,  so  much  the  greater  is  his  credit  and  skill,  for  he  will  discover 
that  in  proportion  as  he  studies  and  knows  his  site  and  understands 
its  values,  just  in  that  proportion  will  be  the  success  of  his  result. 

Such  is  the  proper  house,  where  a site  of  some  extent,  compara- 
tively isolated,  and  open  to  the  surrounding  country  can  be  chosen. 

But  when  the  site  lies  in  the  midst  of  other  properties  already 
built  upon,  and  possessing  in  common  with  them  only  the  single  out- 
look to  the  front,  then  the  conditions  of  the  problem  require  that  the 


78 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


house  shall  be  planned  with  its  main  approach  and  living-rooms  alike 
upon  this  single  open  front.  Even  so,  unless  the  lot  is  very  narrow,  a 

house  such  as  is 
shown,  with  its 
grounds,  in  the  plan 
on  this  page  of  a 
house  at  Tacoma, 
commends  itself  as 
still  possessing, 
though  hemmed  in 
on  three  sides  by 
residences  and  out- 
buildings, all  the  sa- 
lient advantages  of 
a house  built  in  an 
open  country. 

Here  the  house 
is  placed  well  over 
upon  one  side  of  the 
lot;  the  carriage- 
drive  and  walk  are 
over  against  the 
other ; the  entrance- 
hall  is  at  the  rear  of 
the  library,  with  the 
entrance  and  en- 
trance-porcli  at  the 
side.  In  the  angle 
of  the  house  there  is 
room  for  the  turn  in 
the  drive.  The  grounds  in  front  of  the  porch  are  terraced,  and  border- 
ing the  walk  from  the  angle  of  the  terrace  to  the  entrance-porch  are 
beds  of  flowers  and  plantations  of  low  shrubbery.  The  house,  with 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


79 


its  porch  and  principal  rooms  thus  commanded  by  the  approach  and 
the  highway,  is  yet  so  planned  and  placed  upon  the  site  as  to  be  in  no 
way  dominated  by  them. 

A house  built  upon  grounds  on  Long  Island,  required,  from  the 
nature  of  its  site,  a scheme  of  plan  similar  to  the  Tacoma  house,  with 
the  difference  that  the  entrance  is  at  the  front  corner.  It  would  be 


House  at  Tacoma,  Wash. 


well  suited  for  such  a situation  as  the  one  above  described  is  built 
upon. 

If  the  site  is  too  narrow  for  the  drive  and  entrance  at  the  side,  the 
approach,  entrance-porch,  and  entrance  arranged  at  one  corner  of  the 
front  (as  in  the  Long  Island  house),  with  the  hall  in  the  centre  and 
the  living  porch  upon  the  opposite  corner,  would  give  a plan  meet- 
ing many  of  the  above  requirements. 

But  building  sites  laid  out  in  nests  of  lots  are  usually  narrow,  and 
give,  at  best,  to  the  sides  of  the  houses  built  upon  them  only  light  and 
air  spaces.  Upon  these  the  house  is  generally  built  across  the  middle 
of  the  lot,  sitting  back  a rod  or  two  from  the  road,  with  a walk  leading 


80 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


from  a gate  in  tlie  middle  of  tlie  front.  Another  gate  and  walk  at  one 
side,  for  tradesmen  and  servants,  leads  to  the  rear.  For  such  condi- 
tions of  site  the  problem  of  plan  has  many  solutions. 

A house  recently  built  at  Tuxedo  would  meet  this  problem  very 


House  at  Tuxedo,  N.  Y. 


fairly.  In  this  house  the  entrance  is  made  at  once  at  the  centre  into 
the  hall.  The  porch  stretches  across  the  entii’e  front  and  extends  a 
space  beyond  at  either  side.  Thus  exedras  are  formed  at  the  ends 
and  give  the  desired  living  porches  away  from  the  centre  and  removed 
from  the  intrusion  of  the  entrance. 

Also  a house  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  built  by  Mr.  Arthur  Little 
some  years  since,  gives  an  excellent  solution  of  this  “ defence  against 
the  highway  ” idea.  This  house,  apart  from  its  planning  and  placing, 
is  a most  successful  bit  of  shingle  work,  designed  upon  old  colonial 
lines.  [Illustration  on  opposite  page.] 

Many  of  the  old-time  houses,  built  upon  such  lots,  are  models  of 
proper  planning.  A house  in  Cumberland,  Md.  [p.  82] , is,  in  some  re- 
spects, the  most  delightfully  arranged  home  I know.  It  was  built  in 
the  early  forties  from  drawings  by  Not  man.  The  site  is  upon  a hill 
falling  off  sharply  to  the  rear,  with  a prospect  at  the  back  of  the  town 
below,  and  the  mountains,  and  narrows  between  them,  in  the  distance. 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


81 


Tlie  house  is  practically  one-storied,  and  the  charm  of  the  plan  is  the 
directness  and  simplicity  of  its  treatment. 

The  long  axis  of  the  house  is  with  the  length  of  the  lot,  north  and 
south.  Through  the  centre,  from  front  to  rear,  runs  the  hall,  fifteen 
feet  wide  and  sixty  feet  long  from  door  to  door.  Upon  this  hall  open 
all  the  living  rooms ; at  the  front,  on  the  right,  is  the  parlor  ; on  the 
left,  the  library.  Beyond  the  parlor,  on  the  one  side,  are  the  family 
bedchambers,  and  beyond  the  library,  on  the  other,  comes  first  a 


House  at  Morristown,  N.  J. 

(Arthur  Little,  Architect.) 

guest-chamber,  then  the  pantry  and  stair-hall,  and  the  dining-room  at 
the  rear.  In  the  roof  are  additional  bedrooms,  and  in  the  rear  base- 
ment is  the  kitchen,  laundry,  etc.  Across  the  back  of  the  house 
runs  a wide  porch,  with  a broad  stair  leading  down  to  the  lawn  and 
gardens. 

C 


S2 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


The  quarters,  or  servants’  building,  was  separate  and  to  the  left 
and  rear  of  the  main  house.  With  the  works  of  over  a half  century  to 
judge  it  by,  I do  not  see  how  a better  plan  could  be  devised  for  the 
site.  Certain  changes  and  improvements,  notably  in  the  plumbing, 
heating,  and  lighting,  have  been  made  at  times  by  the  present  owner, 
but  the  body  of  the  house  is  intact  as  Notinan  left  it,  classical  in  pro- 
portion, simple  in  outline,  and  refined  hi  detail.  There  are  numbers 
of  inclosed  lots  about  the  suburbs  of  New  York  where  just  such  a 
house  could  be  charmingly  placed. 

In  comparing  architecturally  the  work  of  to-day  with  that  of  the 
various  builders  from  colonial  times  up  to  Notinan  and  his  contem- 
poraries, it  would  seem  that  their  best  work,  being  based  strictly  upon 
the  study  of  classic  proportions,  would  outlive  the  mass  of  ours.  And 


House  at  Cumberland,  Md. 

(Notman,  Architect.) 

this  for  the  simple  reason  that  mere  novelties  will  not  wear  well.  In 
architecture  more  than  in  any  other  art,  the  work  must  commend  itself 
for  some  other  reason  than  its  cleverness  or  originality,  or  it  will  very 
early  wear  out  its  welcome. 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


S3 


“ Quaint,”  “ novel,”  “ picturesque,”  are  terms  freely  used  about  us 
to-day,  and  “ architectural,”  rarely. 

The  old  builders  were  architectural , first  and  always,  and  quaint 


Cottage  at  Newport,  R.  I. 

(Trice,  Architect.) 

was  perhaps  as  far  as  they  ever  got  beyond  that.  It  is  not  maintained 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  new  equal  to  the  old,  or  nothing  good  that 
is  not  based  upon  some  older  model ; or  nothing  good  that  is  quaint 
in  its  effect,  and  both  novel  and  picturesque  as  well.  On  the  contrary, 
there  is  abundance  in  the  new,  superior  in  every  way  to  the  old,  and 
architects  greater  and  abler  than  the  old  ; and  much  of  their  work  is 
quaint  and  novel  too,  and  picturesque  and  beautiful  and  original,  and 
will  last.  But  it  will  last  because  its  motive  is  purely  and  architectu- 
rally expressed  and  based  upon  artistic  principles  stronger  than  the 
originality  of  its  handling. 


84 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


The  old  builders,  though  their  works  Avere  at  times  dull  and 
meagre  and  thin,  were  yet  never  undignified,  never  outrageous,  and 
never  forsook  the  idea  that  their  work  had  a definite  purpose  and  that 
that  purpose  must  be  expressed  in  it.  In  the  Long  Island,  Tacoma, 
and  Tuxedo  houses  it  Avas  Avitli  a thought  of  the  old  builders  and  their 
purposes  that  they  Avere  designed.  The  gambrel  and  deep  roofs  are 
much  as  they  made  them,  and  the  entablature  and  columns  are  as  the 
rules  of  the  orders  given  them. 

The  Tacoma  house  [p.  79],  the  Armistead  cottage  at  Newport  [p.  83], 
and  the  Tuxedo  house  [p.  80],  the  writer  considers  a fair  solution,  ar- 
chitecturally and  picturesquely,  of  the  problem  of  the  suburban  home 
of  moderate  pretensions.  Other  examples  are  numerous  ; notably  Mrs. 
Stoughton’s  house  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  [p.  85],  one  of  Richardson’s 
designs,  though  built  of  shingle  in  the  simplest  way,  is  in  plan,  mass, 
and  treatment,  one  of  his  best  works.  In  two  instances  of  suburban 
houses  by  Messrs.  Burnham  & Root,  near  Chicago  [pp.  87  and  88],  the 
architects  have  met  the  problem  most  fairly,  and  sIioav  in  their  pic- 
turesque composition  that  the  thought  of  the  home  Avas  first  and  most 
important. 

Of  the  quaint  and  artistic  smaller  cottage,  tAvo  examples,  most  op- 
posite in  their  motif  and  materials,  yet  both  equally  delightful  in  their 
architectural  results,  are  seen  in  the  house  at  Short  Hills,  N.  J.  [p.  95], 
built  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Rich,  for  himself,  and  the  other  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  Cincinnati  [p.  89],  built  by  Mr.  Trowbridge. 

Of  houses  of  greater  pretensions  the  field  is  full.  The  Osborn 
house  at  Mamaroneck  [p.  71]  may  be  taken  as  an  example  of  the  best  of 
this  type.  The  approach  is  from  the  land  side.  The  house  is  entered 
from  a porte-cocliere  through  its  centre.  The  division  of  its  features 
is  in  perfect  sequence.  All  the  living  rooms  and  verandas  are  upon  the 
water  side  ; the  offices  and  entrances  upon  the  other.  The  home  life 
is  perfectly  defended  and  protected.  Architecturally  the  work  is 
handled  Avitli  great  dignity  and  art.  Its  materials  are  rough  granite 
and  cedar  shingles,  and  though  born  of  a French  motif  it  is  the  expo- 


House  at  Cambridge,  Mass. 
(Richardson,  Architect.) 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


87 


nent  of  no  style.  It  is  moulded  to  the  needs  of  its  uses,  and  the 
result  is  a genuine  American  art  creation,  as  good  in  itself  and  as 
honest  in  its  purpose  as  any  of  its  forerunners  upon  the  borders  of 
the  Loire  or  among  the  hills  of  England. 


House  at  Kenwood,  III. 

(Burnham  & Root,  Architects.) 

The  Megalithical  houses,  of  which  Richardson’s  famous  Gate 
Lodge  upon  the  Ames  estate  near  Boston  was  perhaps  the  first  ex- 
ample, appeal  strongly  to  the  original  bent  of  the  American  mind. 
The  Lodge  and  Keep  at  the  main  gates  of  Tuxedo  are  built  of  the 
mossy  and  weather-beaten  rocks  and  bowlders  found  upon  the  slopes 
of  the  park.  These  are  set  into  the  walls  without  tool  marks  or  fract- 
ures, and  the  beds  and  joints  chocked  with  rock  moss.  The  house 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNT  HI 


House  at  Evanston,  III. 

(Burnham  & Root,  Architects.) 

built  at  Boulder  Point,  upon  Tuxedo  Lake,  is  a fair  type  of  this  sort. 
The  house  stands  upon  a cliff  projecting  into  the  lake,  and  its  walls 
are  carried  up  with  the  same  character  of  rock  as  the  cliff.  The  start- 
ing-courses are  of  the  largest  rocks  that  could  be  handled,  and  above, 
they  grow  smaller  as  they  approach  the  top.  Great  skill  is  shown  in 
the  execution  of  the  work.  The  stones  ai’e  all  selected  with  flat  faces 
and  fitted  one  against  the  other  with  great  patience  and  care,  and  the 
result  is  the  appearance  of  cyclopean  masonry  centuries  old.  In 
arrangement,  though  the  house  is  planned  to  overcome  the  many 
difficulties  of  its  site,  the  principle  of  the  separation  of  the  approaches 
from  the  living  quarters,  etc.,  is  maintained. 

In  the  details  of  the  interior  of  the  house  of  to-day,  the  hall,  and 
especially  its  fireplace,  has  received  much  attention.  The  “ingle- 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


89 


nook  ” lias  been  taken  up  and  treated  in  many  ways,  amply  and  beau- 
tifully, and  tlie  impression  is  current  that  with  us  it  is  entirely  a mod- 
ern idea.  Such  is  not  the  case.  In  an  old  house  in  Maryland,  built 
long  before  the  Revolution,  the  hall  was  of  unusual  size — so  large,  in 
fact,  that  the  owner  boasted  that  he  could  (and  on  a wager,  did)  turn 
a four-in-hand  in  it.  On  one  side  was  an  enormous  fireplace,  with 
benches  built  out  at  the  sides  of  the  jambs,  and  large  enough  to  seat 
quite  a company.  This  fireplace  was  unique.  It  was  built  of  stone, 
broad  and  deep,  with  a heavy  lintel  over  it ; above  this  lintel  was  a 
niche  with  a separate  Hue  from  it,  and  here  in  the  evening,  knots  of 
fat  pine  were  heaped  and  burned,  and  the  great  hall  was  by  this 
means  brilliantly  lighted.  The  old  house  has  long  since  crumbled 


House  at  Cincinnati,  O. 
(Trowbridge,  Architect.) 


90 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


and  rotted  away,  but  tlie  ruins  of  the  old  fireplace  still  mark  the  site. 
This  house  had  at  the  time  the  title  of  being  the  finest  one  in  western 
Maryland.  Its  claims  to  distinction  rested  upon  the  fact  that  the 
ends  of  the  logs  of  which  it  was  built  were  sawed  off,  and  its  roof  was 
covered  with  shingles. 

Viewing  American  houses  from  a standpoint  of  style,  there  is  as 
marked  a character  in  the  artistic  handling  as  in  the  planning  of  them. 

The  most  distinctive  national  suburban  house  is  undoubtedly  the 
shingle  house  ; that  is,  the  cottage,  however  great  or  small,  built  of 
frame  and  covered  on  sides  and  roof  with  shingles,  plain  or  orna- 
mented as  the  case  may  be.  Next  in  importance  is  the  stone  or  brick 
and  shingle  house  combined ; that  is,  the  house  with  the  ground  story 
of  stone  or  brick  and  the  upper  structure  of  frame  and  shingles. 

The  old  colonial  houses  cannot  be  considered  in  connection  with 
the  shingle  houses  of  to-day.  The  old  colonial  houses  were  in  all  the 
best  examples  built  upon  classic  lines,  with  a classic  base  for  all  their 
details  and  a classic  feeling  in  their  outlines. 

The  shingle  house,  Avliile  it  has  been  recently  taking  a decided  old 
colonial  form,  both  in  general  and  in  detail,  and  is  very  distinctive  in 
plan,  began  in  a picturesque  desire  to  be  novel  and  quaint,  and  aimed 
to  impress  the  beholder  with  these  qualities  as  well  as  its  originality 
above  everything.  That  it  ran  riot,  and  is  still  doing  so,  there  can  be 
no  mistake.  But  out  of  it  all  there  is  a lot  of  splendid  work.  To 
enumerate  it  or  classify  it  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  article,  but  I 
am  impressed  with  the  conviction  and  believe  in  the  thought  that  in 
the  planning,  designing,  and  building  of  the  moderate-cost  suburban 
villa  of  to-day,  the  American  architect  has  no  equal.  I believe  his 
work  is  well  above  and  beyond  any  period  of  the  school  anywhere. 
Of  course,  I mean  his  best  work.  There  is  much  that  is  bad,  very 
bad  ; there  have  been  many  conditions  to  make  it  so.  Vulgar  and 
ambitious  clients,  uncultivated  draughtsmen,  who,  gifted  with  clever 
manual  dexterity  (and  our  draughtsmen  are  getting  to  be  very,  very 


House  at  Elberon,  N.  J. 
(McKim,  Mead,  & White,  Architects.) 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


93 


clever  as  such),  set  up  as  architects ; nouveaux  riches,  who  gauge  the 
beauty  of  their  house  by  its  cost ; these  and  many  other  conditions 
produce  inevitably  their  results.  But  when  the  client  and  his  archi- 
tect are  in  accord,  the  one  to  the  manner  born  and  the  other  a part  of 
it,  the  results  are  noble  and  true. 

Out  of  the  abundance  I select  one  house  in  particular,  as  the  fore- 
runner, to  my  mind,  of  the  type  of  shingle  houses  that  have  since 
become  so  distinctively  an  American  class.  It  must  be  now  twelve  or 
fourteen  years  since  Mr.  Victor  Newcombe  built  his  house  at  Elberon. 
It  is  certainly  that  long  since  I first  saw  it.  I Avas  driving  from  Sea 
Girt  to  Long  Branch  at  the  time,  and,  unaware  of  its  existence,  came 
suddenly  upon  it.  The  Avliole  scheme,  form,  and  treatment  of  the 
house  were  neAV  to  me,  and  I looked  upon  it  with  mingled  feelings  of 
surprise  and  pleasure.  Mr.  McKim  has  since  done  greater  work,  and 
others  have  done  as  good ; for  “ Facilis  est  inventus  addere,”  and 
many  have  profited  thereby.  But  Avlien  I suav  it  first  it  Avas  neAv  and 
stood  alone,  the  first  of  its  class ; and  that  it  Avas  true,  the  numbers 
that  followed  it  and  Avent  beyond  it  soon  showed.  I have  passed  this 
house  many  times  since,  and  to  me  it  is  as  good  a piece  of  work  to- 
day as  when  I first  saw  it.  [Illustration,  page  91.] 

But  Mr.  McKim  Avas  not  the  only  one.  Mr.  Bassett  Jones,  fresh 
from  the  studio  and  influence  of  Norman  Shaw,  had  built  one  or  tAvo 
lovely  cottages  on  Staten  Island.  Mr.  William  Ralph  Emerson  had 
done  likewise  about  Boston  and  at  Bar  Harbor.  Mr.  Jones’s  work 
was  inspired  by  the  Queen  Anne  revival  then  starting  up  in  England, 
but  so  modified  and  adapted  under  his  skilful  treatment  as  to  be  dis- 
tinctively his  own.  Mr.  Emerson’s  work  Avas  more  distinctive  still, 
and  Avent  farther  than  either  Mr.  McKim’s  or  Mr.  Jones’s  in  its  indi- 
viduality. While  Mr.  McKim,  Mr.  Jones,  and  others  clothed  their 
frame  buildings  with  clap-boards  to  the  height  of  the  first  story  and 
shingled  them  the  rest  of  the  way  up,  Mr.  Emerson  started  his  shin- 
gles over  the  entire  house  at  the  water-table,  and  gained  a step  in 
repose  that  the  other  houses  had  not  reached. 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


94 

But  the  Queen  Anne  revival  in  England,  from  which  all  this  work 
started,  was  so  different  in  its  motives,  both  in  the  use  of  materials 
and  disposition  of  the  plan,  that  the  American  cousin  soon  lost  all 


English  Suburban  House. 
(Norman  Shaw,  Architect.) 


family  resemblance.  One  of  the  best  examples  of  this  English  work, 
built  from  designs  of  Norman  Shaw,  is  shown  in  the  above  illustration 
of  an  English  suburban  house.  It  is  delightful  in  composition,  is 
essentially  a home,  and  meets  exactly  the  English  idea  of  one  ; raise  it 
from  the  ground,  put  a veranda  around  it,  and  transplant  it  to  New 
York,  and  its  congruity  is  destroyed. 

Under  such  conditions  and  aided  in  his  work  by  the  increasing 
knowledge  and  higher  cultivation  of  our  intelligent  people  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  art,  the  American  architect  of  to-day  finds  his  great 
opportunity  to  found  an  American  style.  That  the  American  country- 


House  at  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 
(Rich,  Architect.) 


THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 


97 


house  has  become  distinctive  in  becoming  suited  to  our  economies 
and  habits  of  life  is  clear.  Our  wants  call  for  new  forms  in  plan  and 
masses  ; our  materials  for  new  lines  and  textures  in  elevations ; and 
with  our  national  inventiveness  fostered  by  the  problem,  our  work 
becomes  more  and  more  national.  All  these  conditions  demand  origi- 
nal thought  and  hard  study  ; and  bending  the  mind  and  talents  to 
answering  them  must  produce  distinctive  results. 

The  feeling  of  the  old  may  survive,  but  the  style  of  the  prototype 
has  been  bent  to  the  homes  we  live  in,  and  in  bending  yields  to  a new 
form.  The  new  form,  begun  in  a friendly  school,  will  often  borrow 
from  a sympathetic  type,  and  the  result,  while  neither  of  the  two,  yet 
is  true  to  both  ; true  to  its  new  conditions  and  good  withal.  And  so 
the  American  architect  is  passing  into  his  incipient  Renaissance, 
copying  less  from  the  masters  he  has  studied  and  reveres,  and  drop- 
ping the  word  style  from  his  practice.  How  that  word  rises  up  ; a 
frowning  spectre  to  some,  a safeguard  to  many ! How  can  the  Ameri- 
can practitioner  be  true  to  it?  Will  his  client  have  a replica  from 
Italy,  from  France,  or  even  from  England  ? Will  he  build  and  live  in 
a Scotch  fastness,  with  high,  draughty  halls,  ill  lit  from  narrow  win- 
dows, flood  his  moat,  haul  up  his  bridge,  and  lower  his  portcullis  with 
the  chiming  of  the  vesper  bells  ? Will  he  plant  his  roof-tree  upon  the 
walls  of  a French  memoir , give  up  his  ground  floor  to  carriage-drive 
and  flunkies’  quarters  and  live  above  stairs  ? Will  he  give  up  his 
shady  porches,  his  wide  verandas,  his  broad  piazzas,  and  take  the  style 
lie  asks  for  in  the  literal  truth  of  its  examples  ? There  are  none  of 
these,  as  he  knows  and  needs  them,  in  the  great  schools  from  which 
he  would  borrow  a name  for  his  cottage.  True,  there  are  verandas  in 
Italy,  and  loggias,  too,  in  both  Italy  and  France  that  lend  ideas — and 
beautifully  they  have  been  used.  But  American  life  could  not  thrive 
— could  not  exist,  indeed— housed  in  any  of  the  buildings  upon  which 
these  are  found.  American  country  life  has  marked  out  its  current — 
broad,  clear,  well  defined.  It  has  its  source  in  a thousand  well- 

springs  deep  down  in  the  national  character.  Hampered  with  no  tra- 
7 


98 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


ditions,  with  a quick  perception  of  his  wants,  an  innate  love  of  the 
beautiful,  independent  and  practical,  the  American  must  inevitably 
show  his  national  traits  in  his  home.  Scattered  apart  or  grouped 
together,  upon  the  hills,  in  valleys,  and  along  the  streams  that  wander 
through  them  to  the  ocean,  or  perched  upon  the  bluffs  and  beaches 
that  mark  its  boundaries,  for  encircling  miles  about  our  great  cities, 
have  sprung  up,  and  are  still  rising,  the  true  homes  of  the  American 
of  to-day.  From  them  and  to  them  a great  tide  ebbs  and  flows,  and 
pours  over  the  ferries,  by  the  cars,  and  along  the  great  water-ways 
every  day.  Never  ceasing,  this  torrent  pours  in  and  pours  out, 
stronger  and  greater  year  by  year,  giving  to  the  life  of  the  day  one  of 
its  most  distinctive  features.  In  all  the  rush,  in  the  marvellous 
phases  that  have  marked  the  growth  and  progress  of  our  wonderful 
epoch,  there  is  nothing  so  impressive  in  the  city’s  life  as  this  daily 
coming  and  going  throng.  It  is  a vivid  expression  of  that  American 
trait  which  inspires  every  man,  no  matter  how  subordinate  his  posi- 
tion in  the  business  world,  to  assert  his  individuality  and  indepen- 
dence by  owning  a home  which  is  the  outgrowth  of  his  special  tastes 
and  needs.  Amid  the  pretences  and  shams  of  which  American  life  is 
often  accused,  this  at  least  has  the  instinct  of  truth,  and  an  honest 
purpose. 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


By  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL 


IRST  of  all,  in  broaching  the  topic  assigned  me,  I must  venture 


upon  a little  preliminary  talk  about  what  is  really  meant  by 


the  term  Country  House.  There  are  those  in  these  times  who  would 
persuade  us  that  all  country  houses — as  implying  country  homes — are 
going  clean  out  of  date.  It  was  only  a few  weeks  back  that  I fell 
upon  the  reading  of  a three-column  article  in  a great  metropolitan 
journal,  which  set  forth  the  notion  that  no  sensible,  well-cultured 
person  ought  in  future  to  entertain  any  purpose  of  living  in  the  coun- 
try, or  of  going  there  in  any  domiciliary  way,  except  for  a brief  outing 
in  the  heats  of  summer  ; and  this  “ able  ” writer  blew  such  a cloud  of 
logical  dust  in  one’s  eyes  as  caused  the  trees  and  the  fields  to  take  on 
a blurred  look,  and  made  an  old-fashioned  man’s  love  for  them  seem 
quite  disreputable. 

Nevertheless,  I count  it  not  altogether  presumptuous  to  suppose, 
and  even  confidently  to  believe,  that  people  of  considerable  parts  will 
continue  to  establish  themselves  and  their  homes  in  the  country,  and 
to  wrestle  with  its  disadvantages,  through  longer  or  shorter  series  of 
years. 

It  is  not  of  those  suburban  dwellers  that  I speak  now,  who  come 
to  the  country  for  their  sleepings  and  their  Sundays,  but  whose  in- 
terests and  engagements  hold  all  their  energies  to  task-work  between 
the  walls  of  city  houses.  I can  understand  how  these  people,  who  are 
shot  in  grooves  back  and  forth  between  their  city  working-places  and 


100 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


those  outside  harbors  where  they  anchor  at  nightfall,  should  equip 
these  harbors  of  refuge  with  a great  many  of  the  coquetries  of  archi- 
tecture, and  lavish  upon  them  much  goodly  spoil  of  horticulture ; but 
it  is  not  of  these  suburban  rests  (I  had  almost  said  roosts)  that  I am 
to  speak,  but  rather  of  those  houses,  inland,  which  make  more  deter- 
minate homes,  and  which  involve  an  acquaintance  with  the  summer 
noonings  as  well  as  the  summer  nights. 

Again,  it  is  needful  to  exclude  from  present  discussion  those  archi- 
tectural retreats  of  the  mountains,  or  by  the  shore,  which  are  only 
known  to  the  holders,  and  only  enjoyed  during  August  and  Septem- 
ber heats  ; and  so — whatever  dances  may  enliven  them,  or  Avliatever 
dinners  or  guests  make  them  gay — never  get  the  qualities  of  a coun- 
try family  homestead. 

I know  very  many  of  these  summering  places  are,  in  these  latter 
years,  specially  taking  on  an  importance  and  a fulness  of  equipment 
that  may  even  match  the  city  homes  of  their  owners  ; but  if  they  get 
every  autumn  a double  fastening  of  the  cupboards,  and  a padlocking 
of  the  gates,  and  such  dispersion  of  all  servitors  as  forbids  any  blue 
pennon  drifting  from  the  cliimney-tops  in  winter,  and  any  welcoming 
bound  of  the  house-dog  (if  the  owner  pays  visit),  they  belong  only  to 
that  category  of  half-homes  with  which  we  are  not  now  concerned. 
Among  the  qualities  which  mark  and  differentiate  the  country  house 
and  home,  as  we  understand  it,  may  be  counted  this  ever-ready 
openness — fires  that  do  not  go  out,  portraits  of  our  grandfathers  and 
mothers  (if  we  have  them)  upon  the  Avail,  and  gardens  that  get  their 
belaboring  Avith  the  spade  as  surely  as  every  spring  comes.  A man 
may  indeed  divide  his  honors,  if  he  have  enough,  and,  like  Queen 
Victoria,  equip  one  home  with  Tudor  ancestors,  and  sanctify  another 
Avitli  the  Hanoverian  portraits ; but  barred  gates  and  a summer  rioting 
of  weeds  on  house-paths  make  a desertion  in  which  a sturdy  home 
sentiment,  that  ought  to  lurk  in  all  country  houses,  cannot  gi'OAV. 

Again,  it  does  not  appear  to  me  that  the  good  countryish  qualities 
of  house  and  home  are  to  be  measured  exactly  by  distance  from  cities. 


TUE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


101 


Garden  sanctities  and  charms  may  thrive  in  the  very  shadow  of  town 
steeples ; and  I can  imagine  that  the  wiser  ones  of  the  Fox  family 
took  infinite  satisfaction  in  the  pretty  bosky  covers  of  Holland  House 
long  after  the  tide  of  London  brick  and  mortar  flowed  clamorously 
around  its  garden  walls.  Many  of  the  most  engaging  types  of  our 
American  country  houses  were  planted  on  roads  that  became  the 


Rock  Hall,  near  Rockaway,  Long  Island. 


streets  of  bustling  towns  or  of  cities.  I recall  in  this  connection  that 
old  Longworth  homestead  which  for  so  many  years  held  its  dignified 
rural  quietudes  of  trees  and  garden  in  the  midst  of  the  noisy  growth 
of  Cincinnati ; again,  there  is  the  John  Bartram  house,  on  the  Schuyl- 
kill, retaining  its  country  charms  of  vines  and  flowers — its  birds  even 
— long  after  city  sounds  had  drowned  their  songs.  I recall  also  many 
a quiet  old  town  along  the  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  or  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  where  broad-faced  trim  houses  of  a colonial  type, 
with  airy  halls  and  balustrades  upon  their  roofs,  are  still  full  of  a rural 


102 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


invitingness  which  is  made  good  by  their  great  gardens  in  the  rear, 
and  by  their  alleys  of  boxwood  in  the  front.  The  interjection  on  the 


Example  of  Old  House  in  Interior  of  Connecticut. 


village  street  of  butcher  shops  and  of  telegraph  offices  does  not  kill 
the  high  country  qualities  of  such  homes. 

Having  thus  by  this  prefatory  process  of  exclusion  put  out  of 
present  range  the  watering-place  houses  and  those  suburban  retreats 
from  which  occupants  change  from  year  to  year,  we  narrow  our  out- 
look to  those  houses,  of  large  or  small  importance,  which  make  per- 
manent homes,  and  rally  best  one’s  rural  instincts.  There  was  no 
lack  of  these  in  our  early  times.  Satan  had  not  set  up  his  alluring 
city  sign-boards  so  thickly  in  those  days.  There  are  lingerers  from 
that  old  date  to  be  seen  everywhere  in  our  Eastern  and  Middle  States. 
Who  does  not  know  those  little,  one-story,  unpainted,  cube-shaped, 
wooden  houses  scattered  all  along  New  England  shores,  from  Marble- 
head to  Guilford,  on  sandy  knolls,  on  the  flank  of  hills — any  site  was 
good,  if  a woodchuck  could  dig  his  hole  there  without  being  drowned 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


103 


out  in  storms  ; the  big  stone  chimney  in  the  middle,  cumbrous  and 
mighty  with  its  crude  masonry,  gave  space  abreast  of  it  for  front 
“ entry  ” way ; on  one  side  a bedroom,  on  the  other  the  “ keeping  ” 
room,  with  a musty  smell  about  it ; and  behind  the  chimney  the  great 
common  room,  kitchen,  what-not,  with  its  pantry  at  one  end,  and  pos- 
sible cramped  stair  to  a loft  under  the  “ half-pitch  ” roof  where  a 
helper  in  harvesting,  and — by  proper  partitioning — girls  in  their 
teens,  might  get  a “ shake-down  ” of  straw  mattress. 

There  are  lordly  men  in  our  history,  growing  in  honors  year  by 
year,  who  have  had  their  rearing  in  such  quarters.  The  shape  was 
sensible,  because  it  was  of  the  simplest,  and  met  all  the  necessities  of 
the  case  (can  there  be  a better  rule  in  any  architecture?).  The  cover- 


Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  Shore  House. 


ing  was  of  riven  shingles,  which  in  the  progress  of  years  and  storms 
gave  us  that  delightful  tint  of  weather-worn  wood,  which  the  painters 
cannot  match,  nor,  I am  afraid,  the  engravers. 

Following  upon  the  simplest  type  came  the  lift  of  the  roof  into 


104 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


that  gambrel  shape  which  was  token  of  more  room  and  consequence, 
and  which — so  far  as  my  observation  has  reached— seems  to  have 
developed  specially  on  the  immediate  seaboard ; perhaps  because  its 
lines  were  more  ship-shape  and  gave  to  the  roof  a faint  semblance  to  a 
vessel’s  bottom  [p.  103].  A Dutch  modification  of  this  form  is  to  be 
found  on  Long  Island  and  in  New  Jersey  ; while  a modernization  of  the 
same — with  fantastic  array  of  bowlder  work — is  to  be  seen  in  the  “ Fal- 
mouth ” cottage  [p.  105].  To  the  original  type  there  came  in  the  early 
days  a jutting  out  rearward  of  pantries,  milk-rooms,  summer-kitchens, 
spare  bedrooms,  which  involved  a stretch  of  roof : and  of  this  stretch 
of  roof  was  very  likely  legitimately  begotten  that  form  of  homestead 
so  well  known  along  all  the  older-settled  portions  of  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut,  with  long  sloping  roof  in  the  rear,  and  narrower  roof 
covering  the  two  stories  in  the  front.  And  this  was  eminently  a com- 


Specimen  of  Early  Dutch  Architecture,  Long  Island,  N.  Y. 


mon-sense  type  of  house,  giving  recognition  to  the  fact,  that  though  a 
man  might  need  two  stories  in  front,  a single  one  would  serve  him  in 
the  rear ; demonstrating  also  the  fact  that  uniformity  of  roof  and  of 
roof-pitch  on  both  sides  were  not  essential  to  good  effect  [p.  106].  In- 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


105 


deed  this  association  of  long  roof  slope  and  other  forms  is  showing 
itself  with  great  piquancy  in  many  modern  country  houses. 

As  for  interior  arrangements,  there  was  here  a great  central  stack 


Residence  of  Joseph  Hopkins  Smith,  Falmouth,  Me. 

(John  Calvin  Stevens,  Architect.) 

of  chimneys,  showing  good  gray  gneiss  or  sandstone  at  the  tops  ; the 
stairs  zigzagged  up  abreast  of  it  before  the  front  door,  giving  space  for 
a table  or  a cupboard  under  them  ; right  and  left,  two  front  rooms — - 
the  southerly  one  having,  most  times,  door  opening  upon  yard  or  gar- 
den— and  in  the  rear  the  great  kitchen,  possibly  flanked  by  back-stairs 
opening  on  the  wainscot,  and  certainly  with  a great  wealth  of  closets. 
Nay,  there  was  hardly  one  of  them,  of  whatever  proportions,  but  came 
ultimately  to  have  its  extension  hipped  upon  the  northern  angle,  for 
further  exploitation  of  the  home  laboratory — for  milk,  wood,  shelter 
over  the  well,  and  for  making  grateful  lee  at  the  back  entrance  against 
fierce  “ Northers.”  And  there  was  a delightful  honesty  in  this  arclii- 


106 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


tectural  confession  of  small  home  wants  not  to  be  found  in  many 
modern  houses.  In  our  electric  age  there  is  disposition  to  ignore  such 


Characteristic  New  England  House,  especially  in  towns  along  the  Connecticut  River. 


needs  and  to  do  away  with  “backdoors;”  hence  comes  that  over- 
nicety in  country-house  surroundings,  amid  which  a visitor  must  look 
long  and  drearily  for  a place  where  he  can  knock  the  ashes  from  his 
pipe. 

Thereafter  came  swiftly,  abundant  modifications  of  this  form  : an 
overjutting  of  second  story,  and  again  of  the  loft  floor,  with  support- 
ing beams,  making  crude  machicolations,  types  of  which  abound  in 
the  Farmington  (Conn.)  Valley.  The  Avery  house  built  in  1656,  a few 
miles  eastward  of  New  London,  and  still  stanch  in  its  timbers,  is  not- 
able for  its  quaintness  and  for  having  sheltered  eight  successive  gen- 
erations of  the  same  family.  Some  thirty  years  after  its  erection  the 
proprietor  bought  a condemned  church  in  a near  town  and  spliced  it 
upon  his  homestead  ; and  there,  in  Revolutionary  times,  when  the 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


107 


Avery  liead  of  the  house  had  become  an  urgent  “ Separatist,”  public 
psalm-singing  and  preaching  were  heard  again.  Another  curious  ag- 
glomeration of  house  roofs,  and  addenda  of  even  date,  but  of  more  im- 
portance, is  that  of  the  famous  Wentworth  mansion  at  Little  Harbor. 
The  old  “ Fairbanks  ” homestead  at  Dedham  may  be  named  in  this 
connection  [p.  108]. 

When  the  central  stack  of  chimneys  was  divided — increased  size  of 
fortune  or  family  demanding  more  tires — there  came  about  the  long- 
central  hall  dividing  the  house,  through  which  in  August  came  that  re- 
freshing play  of  the  winds  which  so  many  old  people  remember  with 


Old  House  of  Peter  Avery,  Pequonnoc,  Conn.,  built  in  1656. 

joy.  Many  early  houses  with  two  gaunt  gray  chimneys  show  stair- 
ways cloven  into  the  side-walls  of  the  hall,  and  closed  in  by  doors  ; 
then  came  the  open  balusters  and  the  half  climb  to  a great  landing,  set 


108 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Fairbanks  House  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  built  in  1636. 


off  with  round-topped  window  at  the  end  of  the  hall  ; and  as  this  hall 
gained  in  width  and  importance,  heavy  wooden  cornices  adorned  it,  a 
great  archway  divided  it,  oaken  panelwork  grew  upon  the  side-walls, 
and  a great  Hood  of  light  from  the  big  window  on  the  landing  showed 
marvellous  landscapes  from  the  Dutch  paper-hangers  between  the 
wainscot  and  cornice.  Or  maybe  there  was  some  quiet  monotone  of 
color  upon  the  walls,  on  which  hung  family  portraits  by  Copley,  or 
Smybert,  or  the  Earles,  with  a tall  clock  ticking  on  the  stair-landing 
or  within  the  archway  : very  cold  straits  of  passage  in  winter  these 
great  halls  made  between  the  blazing  firesides  in  the  rooms  flanking 
them,  till  Nott’s  stoves  and  the  cellar  furnaces  came  in  ; but  in  sum- 
mer what  delightful  affluence  of  breezes,  with  their  flavors  of  lilies  or 
of  locust  bloom ! 

To  this  fashion  of  houses  belong  those  so-called  colonial  mansions 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


109 


which  give  dignity  to  so  many  outlying  towns  around  Massachusetts 
Bay  ; great  pilasters,  may  be,  at  their  angles,  and  marking  the  interior 
partitions  ; frontons  of  classic  treatment,  with  central  ornamented  win- 
dow ; balustrades ; perhaps  some  lifted  room  at  the  apex  of  the  hip- 
ped roof  (as  in  the  Fisher  house  of  Dorchester)  ; possibly  a labored 
cutting  of  the  wooden  angles  into  the  semblance  of  stone  quoins  (as  in 
the  Deming  House,  of  Colchester).  A great  many  of  these  features 
were  repeated  in  country  houses  that  grew  up  along  the  heights  of 
New  York  Island — among  them  the  Aptliorp  mansion,  now  made 


Johnson  Hall,  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  built  in  1764  by  Sir  William  Johnson. 


dreary  by  neglect.  Of  a less  imposing  house  in  the  same  region,  I 
come  upon  this  pleasant  mention  in  an  old  letter  * of  the  time,  from 

* Brought  to  light  in  that  agreeable  reservoir  of  colonial  data,  the  Pennsylvania 
Magazine  of  History. 


110 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Mrs.  Thomson,  Avife  of  the  Secretary  of  Congress  (1786).  She  is  com- 
mending a rich  AvidoAv,  Avith  £10,000  in  her  oavh  right,  to  a gentleman 
friend  in  Philadelphia.  She  says  : “ Her  house  is  pleasantly  situated  ; 
the  front  has  a view  of  the  North  River,  and  from  the  hack  you  can 
see  the  East  River.  The  house  is  one  story  high,  Avith  attick  cham- 
bers ; there  is  a Piazza  all  round  the  dAvelling  ; the  AvidoAv  is  cheerful 
and  comely — inclines  to  be  Plump.” 

Farther  up  the  Hudson  (Yonkers)  Avas  that  interesting  Phillipse 
manor-house,  uoav — if  standing  at  all — given  over  to  civic  uses  ; again, 
and  specially  noticeable  as  exhibiting  the  classic  architectural  fervors 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  last  century  Avas  the  Montgomery  Place,  at 
Barrytown,  still  maintaining  its  dignities  amid  its  encompassing  Avood. 
The  Avell-knoAvn  Patroon  house,  of  Albany  (of  latter  part  of  seven- 
teenth century),  Avas  less  classic,  but  palatial  in  extent,  and  under- 
stood to  repeat  the  features  of  the  Dutch  homestead  of  the  Yan  Rens- 
selaers  in  Holland.  Along  that  valley  of  the  Mohawk — are  still  stand- 
ing many  notable  country  houses  of  the  last  century ; among  them,  the 
home  of  Sir  William  Johnson  (near  to  JohnstoAvn),  Avith  central  round- 
topped  Avindow  setting  off  its  upper  story,  hipped  roof,  and  its  tAvo 
flanking  buildings,  standing  apart  for  offices  and  bachelor  quarters  [p. 
109J ; the  old  Herkimer  house,  Avliere  the  hero  of  Oriskany  died,  is  yet 
inhabited ; and  another  noble  homestead,  simple,  grand,  and  stately 
(built  by  Jan  Linldaen,  in  the  last  century),  maintains  its  dignity  and 
its  air  of  high  hospitalities  amid  the  leafy  charms  of  Cazenovia  [p.  111]. 

Farther  AvestAvard,  in  the  valley  of  the  Genesee,  widely  knoAvn  for 
its  beauty  and  its  fertilities,  there  came  as  settler,  in  the  closing  years 
of  the  last  century,  a Connecticut  man  (from  Durham),  Avho  had  a 
keen  eye  for  good  land  and  for  good  landscape,  and  av1io  before  his 
death  (1844)  made  the  Wadsworth  estate  known  for  its  great  reach, 
and  its  abounding  productiveness  ; and  made  himself  known  by  quiet 
and  large  philanthropies.  The  homestead  that  greAv  up  there  under 
the  fostering  care  of  a son — avIio  found  an  honored  death  at  the  head 
of  his  brigade  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness — is  more  essentially  a 


Linklaen  House  (eighteenth  century).  Cazenovia,  N.  V. 
(Built  by  Jan  Linklaen,  agent  of  tbe  Dutch  Government.) 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


113 


country  home  than  the  others  we  have  brought  to  view.  It  is  situated 
upon  a slope  of  those  gently  rising,  broad-surfaced  hills  from  which 
there  is  wide  valley  outlook  over  groups  of  forest  trees  and  fertile 
meadows.  It  is  not  specially  noticeable  for  its  architectural  lines, 
except  that  a great  profusion  of  them,  in  shape  of  oriels,  gables, 
porches,  chimneys,  give  promise  of  comfort ; the  stretch  of  fields  and 
of  trees  make  the  divorce  from  city  and  suburban  things  complete. 
Even  a meeting  of  the  hounds  there  does  not  tempt  the  derisive  smile 
which  is  provoked  by  the  artificialities  of  a “ hunt  ” at  Newport  [pp. 
119  and  121] . 

Reverting  again  to  earlier  phases  of  American  country  life,  I am 
tempted  to  speak  of  that  great  estate  which,  in  pre-Revolutionary 
days,  William  Alexander — known  as  Lord  Stirling — equipped,  at  pro- 
digious cost,  near  to  Basking  Ridge,  in  New  Jersey.  There  was  a 
huge  mansion,  with  imposing  drawing-room  and  banqueting-hall,  with 
stuccoed  ceiling ; a long  array  of  offices,  with  coach-houses,  bake- 
houses, brew-houses;  all  these  skirting  a paved  quadrangle,  and  show- 
ing gilded  vanes  disporting  over  the  cupolas.  Judge  Jones,  the  loyal- 
ist and  historian  (who  had  himself  a great  country  house  near  South 
Bay,  L.  I.,  still  held  by  the  Floy d- Joneses),  says  that  Stirling  “ cut  a 
splendid  figure,  having  brought  with  him  from  England  horses,  car- 
riages, a coachman,  valet,  butler,  cook,  steward,  hairdresser,  and  a 
mistress.”  This  Lord  Stirling,  however,  fought  bravely  on  the  patriot 
side,  and  held  Washington’s  esteem  ; but  the  war,  his  absence,  and 
lack  of  trading  shrewdness,  brought  his  fortune  to  wreck,  and  before 
the  end  of  the  century  the  Basking  Ridge  establishment  was  in  ruins. 
All  the  aspects  of  this,  in  its  palmy  days,  and  its  management,  must 
have  been  rather  foreign  than  American.  The  same  is  also  true  of  the 
country  estate  near  Bordentown,  one  while  occupied  and  improved  by 
Joseph  Bonaparte. 

Another  New  Jersey  country  establishment  of  a more  strictly 
American  type,  and  still  showing  its  hugely  timbered  barns  of  Ameri- 
can pattern,  is  the  so-called  Bingham  House  in  Oceanic.  At  a dance 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


111 

in  its  great  banqueting-liall  it  is  said  tliat  the  beautiful  Miss  Bingham 
lost  her  heart — carrying  therewith  a great  slice  of  her  father’s  landed 
estate — to  Lord  Ashburton.  The  ground  plan  shows  lack  of  all  lesser 


offices,  which  were  established  in  octagonal  buildings  flanking  the 
main  house,  but  slightly  in  the  rear,  and  connected  with  it,  originally, 
by  corridors.  Magnificent  trees  still  belong  to  the  site,  and  a great 
lawn  (cut  athwart  by  a ha-ha,  beyond  which  cattle  feed)  sweeps  from 
its  front  to  a shore  where  some  leafless  remnants  of  old  forest  bear  up 
ospreys’  nests,  and  the  ocean  beats  and  thunders. 

The  great  simplicity  of  the  ground  floor,  with  no  kitchen  involve- 
ments, was  characteristic  of  most  Southern  country  homes,  to  which 
dinners  came  in  steaming  from  without.  The  Stratford  (Lee)  house, 
with  its  low  roofs  and  curiously  grouped  chimneys,  is  an  example  of 
this,  dating  from  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century  [p.  115].  Another 
notable  Virginia  house,  Mount  Vernon,  all  the  world  knows  of  ; and 
the  tall,  massive  colonnade  supporting  the  extension  of  its  long  roof 
had  its  replicas  in  climates  not  so  well  suited  to  such  defence  against 
the  sunbeams.  Thus  General  Huntington — Washington’s  Collector 
of  Customs  in  New  London — built  there  a commodious  house,  upon  a 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


115 


gentle  height,  then  outside  the  town,  with  massive  brick  columns  of 
quaint  form  supporting  the  overreach  of  roof  upon  three  sides.  It 
has  been  well  preserved,  save  that  within  a few  years  a bay  window 
and  an  oriel  of  modern  demonstrative  carpentry  has  been  thrust 
across  the  Mount  Vernon  extension  of  roof,  showing  how  bumptious 
common-sensical  notions  about  light  and  air  will  cut  clean  through 
and  destroy  the  charms  of  traditionary  form. 

Early  country  houses  in  lower  Virginia,  between  the  York  and 
James  Rivers,  were  built  more  after  accredited  English  forms,  and  the 
materials  for  them  were  largely  imported.  The  same  is  true  of  early 


Stratford  House,  Westmoreland  County,  Va, 

fBuilt  in  the  eighteenth  century,  of  brick  pent,  over  from  England,  for  Colonel  Thomas  Lee,  great-grand- 
father of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  This  house  is  the  birthplace  of  General  Lee.) 


houses  in  South  Carolina ; and  there  are  roof-tiles  covering  outbuild- 
ings and  stables  in  Charleston,  still  in  good  condition,  which  were 
brought,  more  than  a century  ago,  from  Holland.  So  were  the  bricks 
and  Portland  stone  which  went  to  the  making  of  the  Alston  house 


116 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


(known  for  its  vaulted  drawing-room),  and  to  tlie  walls  that  hemmed 
in  the  great  garden  where  it  was  planted.  The  material  in  Drayton 
Hall,  built  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century  (1747),  and  almost  the 
only  important  homestead  along  the  Ashley  River  which  escaped  the 
scathing  times  of  the  war,  is  also  of  British  origin.  It  is  without 
cellar,  and  for  sanitary  reasons — like  most  country  houses  in  the 
lower  Carolinas — is  lifted  high  above  the  ground,  and  amid  a lusty 
overgrowth  of  vines  and  shrubs  shows  a dignified  front  and  a hospita- 
ble amplitude. 

The  inland  “ up-country  ” homesteads — even  of  those  who  planted 
largely — were  generally  of  much  more  modest  pretentions,  the  orig- 
inal and  humblest  type  being  the  log-house — perhaps  doubled,  with 
an  airy,  roofed  corridor  between  the  couple.  The  coupling  might  run 


Mantel  in  the  Wist er  House,  Germantown,  Pa. 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


117 


Chew  House,  Germantown,  Pa. 


to  three  or  four  ; and  these,  when  built  wTith  care,  and  weather- 
boarded  and  painted — with  roofs  stretching  over  into  long  verandas — 
with  a near  whitewashed  group  of  servants’  quarters,  and  here  and 
there  a guest’s  cottage,  or  that  of  the  doctor  or  of  the  chaplain,  upon 
a neighboring  wooded  knoll— were  not  without  their  invitingness  and 
importance.  Instances  of  extraordinary  expenditure  upon  some  of  the 
upland  places  were  not  unknown.  Thus  the  late  Governor  Manning 
built,  and  equipped  luxuriously,  a great  establishment,  “ Milford,”  in 
central  South  Carolina.  It  was  a grand  surprise  for  a visitor — after 
toiling  through  silent  stretches  of  pine  woods — to  come  upon  a great 
fronton  of  imposing  Greek  columns,  ponderous  doors  of  roseAvood, 
lofty  frescoed  ceilings,  silken  bell-pulls,  and  Parisian  bric-a-brac.  Yet 
the  dreaded  “ country  fever  ” compelled  the  abandonment  of  all  this, 


ns 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


by  botli  roaster  and  guest,  so  soon  as  the  May  sun  smote  hotly  the 
spongy  surface  of  the  near  cypress  swamps. 

Country  houses  in  the  Southwest,  upon  the  river  banks  above  New 
Orleans,  formed  a type  of  their  own — great  verandas  with  blooming 
things  scrambling  over  them  making  part ; so  did  the  magnolias  and 
pecan-trees.  There  was  a large  grouping  of  outside  offices — some- 
times also  of  school  and  chapel,  in  connection  with  neatly  organized 
quarters — which  together  made  a little  hamlet. 

The  English  quadrangle  system  of  country-house  establishments 
never  came  to  great  vogue  in  America.  It  belonged  to  a medheval- 
ism  that  has  left  its  musty  odors  only  about  some  of  our  educational 
buildings.  Even  the  “ walling  in  ” cumbrously  of  courts  or  gardens  is 
rarely  seen.  Our  hot  suns  of  summer  do  not  favor  the  use  of  such 
protection ; wall-fruit  is  not  the  success  here  that  it  is  in  England  ; 
even  in  the  case  of  open  espaliers  (always  associated  with  old  British 
country  houses)  there  is  need  for  keeping  a leafier  growth  than  is  ad- 
missible under  the  leaden  skies  of  the  Old  Country 

There  must  be  opportunity  for  some  quite  new  and  rare  develop- 
ment of  rural  buildings  under  the  conditions  belonging  to  life  on  the 
great  ranches  of  Colorado  and  California.  The  family  of  the  red- 
woods furnishes  rare  material,  if  the  old  adobe  be  not  brought  to 
noble  uses  ; and  no  setting  for  whatever  roofs,  cupolas,  cattle-pens, 
barracks,  olive-presses,  can  be  imagined  finer  than  the  snow-tipped 
mountains  of  Colorado,  or  the  verdurous  ones  of  southern  California. 

The  question  of  site  for  a country  home,  is  an  important  one,  East 
or  West ; and  involves  other  and  quite  different  conditions  from  those 
to  be  considered  on  a suburban  street.  The  vagaries  of  our  climate 
within  the  last  half  dozen  years  have  somewhat  disturbed  the  old 
notions  about  shelter  from  northwesters  ; but  I think  there  will  be 
general  agreement  that  the  flank  of  a hill  is  better  for  site  than  the  ex- 
treme summit ; and  the  opinion  is  well  supported  that  a southwestern 
exposure  (and  slope  for  ground)  is,  of  all,  the  best,  and  cheeriest,  and 
kindliest,  whether  for  house  or  gardens.  The  perfect  drainage  which 


Wadsworth  Homestead  in  the  Genesee  Valiey,  Western  New  York. 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


121 


every  wise  man  will  seek  for  in  a country  house,  is,  of  course,  more 
easily  secured  by  elevated  site  ; and  the  old  closed  cesspool  is  giving 
way  to  one  which  shall  serve  as  the  distributing  reservoir  for  a sys- 
tem of  subsurface 
tiling.  The  dis- 
tribution may  be  1 
secured  at  short 
periods  by  the 
action  of  a si- 
phon, or  by  flush- 
ing the  reservoir 
fro  m the  rain 
conduits. 

Of  the  mate- 
rial for  the  con- 
struction of  a 
country  house  there 
are  divers  opinions 
and  practices  ; but  there 
is  a growing  (and  wise)  dis- 
position to  use  homely  mate- 
rial, nearest  at  hand,  if  sound 
and  effective.  The  old  bugbear 
that  stones  made  a damp  house 
is  disproved  by  those  who 
build,  with  such  “ furring  off  ” 
of  inner  walls  as  insures  dry- 
ness aS  AVell  aS  Warmtll  in  Win-  Staircase  in  Wadsworth  House,  Geneseo. 

ter,  and  best  protection  of  all 

against  fierce  sunbeats.  If  house  walls  are  not  wholly  of  stone,  multi- 
tudes show  that  bold  use  of  it  in  the  ground-story  which  has  gone 
perhaps  to  make  it  too  popular  ; by  this  I mean  that  its  opportunities 
tempt  finical  littlenesses  of  treatment.  I have  seen  this  effect  by  use 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


122 

of  oversmall  stones,  perliaps,  of  regularly  recurring  sizes,  nestled  to- 
gether like  child’s  work  ; and  again  by  undue  care  to  give  all  stones 
the  same  form,  or  same  lack  of  form  ; both  these  methods  being  bad, 
and  defeating  that  sensible  purpose — -simple  as  it  is  sensible — to 
make  a stanch  wall,  wholly  sufficient,  and  without  those  affectations 
of  petit-matt  re- ism,  in  quality  or  tone,  which  defeat  every  aim  of 
honesty  and  all  heroic  simplicities.  An  exaggerated  rudeness — speci- 
ally in  use  of  rude  material — is  as  bad  as  an  exaggerated  finesse  ; 
and  is  it  not  an  overstrain  of  plain  bowlder  work  to  lay  it  up  in  col- 
umns with  Pelasgic  hugeness  for  the  support  of  a veranda,  or  mere 
umbrage  roof  of  whatever  sort? 

Not  least  among  the  advantages  of  this  use  of  stone  for  the  ground 
story  is  its  invitingness  for  vine  growth.  I know  there  are  some 
sticklers  for  the  old  notion  that  such  growth- promotes  dampness  ; but 
the  shelter  of  the  leaves,  and  the  evaporation  from  them  of  such 
moisture  as  the  little  rootlets  have  taken  up  from  the  stone  and  mor- 
tar go  far  to  disprove  the  old  belief,  if  long  and  actual  test  had  not 
shown  contrary  result. 

Shingles  have  been  latterly  put  to  greatly  increased  uses  in  cover- 
ing walls  as  well  as  roofs  of  country  houses,  and  with  the  variety  of 
good  stains  now  available  have  excellent  effect ; but  it  is  a question- 
able, and,  architecturally,  indefensible  use  which  puts  them  to  the 
cover  of  supporting  columns  to  a porch,  or  to  the  dressing  of  an  arch 
in  carpentry.  Among  the  stains  that  have  come  into  use  appears  a 
very  clever  counterfeit  (as  respects  color)  of  those  delicate  gray-green 
lichens  which  age  puts  upon  many  old  houses  ; but  shall  an  honest 
country  home  carry  even  so  pretty  a falsehood  as  this  upon  its  roof  ? 

Of  course  the  selection  of  material  for  con  ntry  building  will  be 
largely  governed  by  the  general  outline  and  style  ; those  imposing, 
dignified,  half  classic,  colonial  houses,  of  which  we  spoke,  and  which 
have  some  rare  qualities  for  comfort,  would  not  admit  of  a jumble  of 
stones  and  timber,  or  of  any  tricks  for  the  picturesque  ; yet  that  old 
Connecticut-Idiver  type  of  a long  slope  in  the  rear  roof,  and  of  over- 


Hyde  Hall,  Cooperstown, 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


125 


reach,  with  show  of  supporting  timbers  of  the  upper  floor,  would  sit 
very  well  upon  a good  honest  ground  story  of  stone-work,  incorpo- 
rated with  some  massive  chimneys  piling  up  to  the  height  of  the  ridge. 
And  that  upper  story  could  be  happily  married  to  the  ground  by  a 
heavy  timber  porch  at  its  door,  with  its  inviting  seats ; or,  if  need 
were,  some  more  closely  wrought  lee  against  northers  for  the  visitor  in 
waiting.  Every  country  house  demands  a porch  of  some  sort ; dignity 
and  hospitality  both  demand  it ; but  the  porte-cochere  is  of  more 
doubtful  necessity  ; it  may  be  made  to  take  abundance  of  picturesque 


Lodge  Gate,  Hyde  Hall. 


attitudes  indeed,  but  is  very  apt — save  under  quite  exceptional  treat- 
ment— to  put  unwelcome  shadows  and  gloom  about  an  entrance,  sug- 
gestive of  lingering  damp  at  the  step,  or  of  long  unmeltiug  annoyances 
of  ice.  Cheer,  warmth,  sunshine  ought  to  be  flung  with  full  hands 
about  the  grand  and  cliiefest  opening  to  a home.  ’Twere  well,  there- 
fore, to  relegate  this  coach  sheltering  (and  a country  coach  ought  to 
brave  a good  deal  of  honest,  hard  weather)  to  a secondary  and  side 
door,  where  the  shadows  of  its  long  overreach  will  not  tell  harmfully. 

As  for  the  windows  of  a country  house,  the  demand  should  be  for 
largeness,  and,  again— largeness ; indeed  some  corridor  with  walls  of 
glass  is  not  a bad  accompaniment  for  a flank  or  angle.  Our  sanitari- 
ans are  getting,  at  last,  to  understand  the  glory  and  the  goodness  of 


126 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


a winter’s  sunshine,  and  that  it  is  no  way  needful  to  journey  to  the 
tropics  for  it.  Whether  the  large  glazing  which  will  insure  a good 
sun-bath  can  be  associated  with  good  flower-growth  is  more  doubtful ; 
succulent  plants,  at  least,  for  their  fullest  growth  require  a humidity 
of  air  not  good  for  human  wants  ; but  I have  seen  one  of  the  great 
piazzas  flanking  a country  house  of  the  Revolutionary  type,  which, 
having  taken  on  its  winter  (movable)  wall  of  glazing,  giving  shelter  to 
certain  tough  bits  of  green — such  as  a rampant  ivy,  or  a group  of  as- 
pedistas,  or  some  tall  fellow  of  the  palm  family  in  his  tub — make  an 
uncommonly  welcome  place  for  an  after-dinner  smoke,  or  a booklet 
(in  the  hammock),  or  an  idle  listening  to  the  canary  which  swung  out 
of  Tabby’s  reach,  and  sung  the  snows  to  shame. 

What  now  shall  be  said  of  the  hall  of  a country  house,  except  that 
it  should  make  good  the  welcome  of  the  porch  and  of  the  sunny  win- 
dows and  of  the  chimney-tops?  For  this  it  should  never  be  cramped  : 
that  is  a pinch  at  the  very  vitals  of  a home.  And  yet  fair  proportions 
must  be  guarded : it  offers  tempting  place  for  an  architect  to  lavish 
his  skill  ; but  neither  its  extent  nor  appointments  should  dwarf  the 
house  ; as  if  a host  were  to  spend  his  forces  in  an  unctuous  shaking 
of  hands,  without  any  larder  to  back  up  his  welcome ! 

Shall  there  be  fireplace  in  the  hall  ? If  never  to  be  used,  and  set 
there — in  however  piquant  dress  of  oak  and  brazen  trappings — only 
as  a symbol  of  a warmth  which  never  shows  tongue  of  flame,  emphati- 
cally no.  Doubtful  even  if  the  lighting  only  on  far  apart  festal  days 
could  justify  it ; but  if  the  logs  are  to  glow  or  smoulder  on  that  altar 
(as  weather  may  bid)  from  the  ides  of  November  to  those  of  April,  or 
if  its  flames  are  to  light  the  mornings  of  a belated  spring,  or  warm  the 
nightfalls  of  a frosty  October,  it  is  an  unmatchable  glory  of  a country 
house ; unless  indeed  the  rollicking  blaze  play  of  a library  fire  or  of  a 
breakfast-room  matches  it.  A country  house  without  its  fireplaces,  or 
something  with  a blaze  in  them,  is  like  a man  groping  for  treasure 
with  eyes  put  out.  As  for  smoky  chimneys,  there  is  no  reasonable 


House  of  Edward  Livingston,  Lenox,  Mass. 
(Rotch  & Tilclen,  Architects.) 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


129 


excuse  for  them  ; the  main  points  are  a narrow  throat,  and  a good 
cushioning  of  air  behind  it  for  any  sudden  down  draught : to  this  end 
a slant  forward  of  the  rear  wall  is  best,  and  a good  splaying  of  the 
jambs. 

Of  course  there  may  be  exterior  reasons  for  bad  draught — in  pres- 
ence of  a near  overtopping  building,  or  dense  wood,  or  sudden  rise  of 
hill — which  causes  of  trouble  are  oftenest  circumvented  by  an  em- 
branchment of  cliimney-tops,  as  pleasantly  explained  and  justified  by 
M.  Viollet  le  Due,  in  his  agreeable  “ Story  of  a House.” 

Next,  stairs.  To  many  a poor  woman  who  has  toiled  a half  life 
out  upon  an  eight-inch  “ rise  ” of  stair,  a lessening  of  the  height  by 
two  inches  (six  and  one-eiglith  inches  is  best)  will  seem  like  putting- 
step  on  the  road  to  Beulah.  A steep  stair  everywhere,  and  everyhow 
— except  in  a ship’s  steerage — is  an  offence  and  a blight  and  a curse. 
But  for  an  easy,  hospitable,  broad,  cheery,  inviting  stairway  flanking  a 
country  hall,  or  engrossing  one  end  of  it,  or  dominating  it  by  a great 
swing  of  its  galleries  or  landing,  what  a noble  chance  is  given  to  the 
architect ! What  woody  rioting  there  may  be  in  balusters — in  screens 
lifting  up  to  the  support  of  great  beams  in  the  ceiling,  in  arches  dis- 
guising the  changing  levels,  in  flashes  from  mosaic  windows,  pouring 
glories  on  the  floor  ! We  might  fill  our  pages  with  pretty  illustrations 
tliereanent ; but  from  all  we  should  very  likely  come  back  to  a quick- 
ened love  for  those  old  simplicities  which  associate  perfect  ease  with 
severest  of  lines. 

As  for  collocation  of  rooms  in  country  houses,  there  is  happily  no 
occasion  for  all  those  Chinese  puzzlings  and  dove-tailings  of  parts 
which  city  architects  find  it  needful  to  study.  There  is,  or  should  be, 
space  to  thrust  out  a room  or  a bay  or  an  L,  where  we  need  it ; and 
as  for  the  sun,  windows  may  be  set  to  welcome  it.  The  morning  sun, 
by  all  means,  should  come  to  the  family  room,  to  the  children’s  room, 
and  to  the  breakfast-room  ; as  for  the  afternoon  sun,  let  it  strike 
where  it  will.  In  all  our  latitudes,  south  or  north,  the  southwest 


130 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


angle  of  a house  is,  I think,  the  treasured  angle — most  to  he  coveted 
for  chambers,  for  work-room,  for  (if  it  must  be)  sick-room.  The  sun 
stays  there  longest  ; the  blues  vanish  fastest. 

The  wants  of  children,  too,  must  not  be  left  out  of  sight,  unless  we 
determine  to  legislate  them  away,  and  make  Mr.  Maltlius  our  saint. 
There’s  no  in-door  romping-ground  for  a child  like  a great  garret,  with 
dormers  to  let  in  sunlight  like  a deluge.  The  quaint,  big  old  houses 
we  have  shown,  had  them  ; and  a healthy  child,  without  chance  for 


McAlpin  House,  Sing  Sing,  N.  V. 
(Hapgood,  Architect.) 


rainy-day  forays  in  such,  must  grow  up  with  a large  domestic  element 
of  its  nature  undeveloped.  Home  ties  of  those  young  folk  grapple  to 
a bare  roof-tree  in  the  top  of  the  house  very  clingingly.  And  if 
country  life  is  not  to  be  subverted  altogether,  and  turned  adrift  on  the 
wastes  of  cities,  it  must  be  the  clinging  child  love,  wakening  in  man- 
hood, and  re-awakening  in  age,  which  is  to  insure  and  ennoble  its 
best  development. 

By  the  same  ruling  there  must  be  out-of-door  regalement  and 
comforters  of  the  child-age.  “ Out-of-doors  ” is  a very  large  part  of  a 
well-balanced  country  house  ; this  is  an  Irishism,  maybe ; but  it  is  a 
wholesome  one  to  consider  and  act  upon.  “ Out-of-doors  ” in  cities 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


131 


does  not  tie  to  the  dwelling  ; it  lacks  privacy  ; it  lacks  consecra- 
tion ; it  is  every  man’s  ; and  so  no  man’s.  There  should  be  tennis- 
ground  ; there  should  be  coasting  hill ; there  should  be  skating-pond, 
snow  forts,  and  fortresses  of  stone;  cabins — for  cooking — for  picnic- 
ing,  for  learning  the  ductilities  that  belong  to  the  offices  of  hostess. 
Home  is  the  word  ; to  give  great  quickening  sense  to  it,  to  ennoble  it, 
to  endear  it,  to  justify  it ; this  is,  or  ought  to  be,  the  aim  where  roof- 
trees  are  planted  in  the  open  of  God’s  country.  One  of  the  greatest 
of  lacks,  as  appears  to  me,  in  the  pretty  Bellamy  programmes  of 
social  fixtures,  is  that  they  disjoint  and  fling  apart  all  old  and  relisli- 
able  ideas  of  home,  leaving  no  place  for  their  development.  Such 
schemes  legislate  away  need  for  it : for,  what  is  home  without  its  tea- 
pot singing  on  the  hearth,  without  its  ral lying-place  at  the  fireside  for 
family  seclusion  ; without  its  “ table-round,”  where  books,  games,  sing- 
ing, talk — unhampered  by  over-critical  ears — fill  up  the  eventide  ; 
without,  maybe,  its  household  mishaps  of  kitchen  or  larder,  bewray- 
ing the  management  and  compelling  virtues  of  self-denial — of  gra- 
cious reticence — of  quiet,  brave  reconcilement  with  the  accidents  of 
life? 

Gardens,  too  ; what  is  your  country  house  without  a garden  ? 
And  by  garden  I mean  all  those  encompassing  or  outlying  things  of 
green  which  need  coaxing,  and  training,  and  loving,  for  their  develop- 
ment. There  need  be  no  great  trail  of  such — no  sheltering  quadran- 
gular courts.  But  surely  no  mistress  can  wear  so  beautiful  and  so 
cheap  an  adornment  as  a flower.  Timid  ones  need  not  be  frightened 

with  bugbear  stories  of  how  B raises  tomatoes  at  cost  of  a dollar 

each,  and  his  chrysanthemums  at  cost  of  his  wife’s  ostrich  plumes.  A 
little  care  and  sympathy,  and  two  hours  of  a morning  will  do  the 
needful.  There  is  no  need  for  any  rioting  with  moneys  ; and  a flower 
that  blooms  responsive  to  one’s  training  and  care  carries  double  per- 
fume ; and  the  fruit  a man  picks  from  his  own  “ grafting  ” has  subtle 
flavors  that  trace  back  through  all  the  gardens  in  books. 

I do  not  believe  a man  can  be  proper  aesthetic  master  of  what  be- 


132 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


longs  to  a country  lionse — to  its  amplitudes  or  proportions,  or  har- 
monies {pace,  Mr.  Architect) — except  he  see  his  way  to  them  through 
alleys  of  green.  Great  reach  and  tale  of  acres  upon  acres  are  not  es- 
sential. I do  not  know  but  the  rural  instincts  are  more  deeply  and 
certainly  stirred  by  some  old  half-country  half-town  house,  where  the 
village  road  brings  its  carryall  in  shower- time-nearness  to  the  door.  I 
have  such  an  one  very  plainly  in  my  mind’s  eye,  as  I write  ; the  low 
ceilings  (which  would  make  modern  fine  builders  stand  aghast),  couple 
cosily  with  the  old-time  chairs  ; the  sun  is  shining  through  vases  that 
carry  dainty  blossoms  in  southern  windows  ; the  great  sweep  of  fifty- 
year-old  Norway  spruces  (which  some  livers  by  the  sea  opinionate  can 
never  become  great,  lusty  trees),  put  their  dark  fringes  of  boughs  woo- 
ingly  to  the  shaven  green  ; the  little  terraced  bit  of  old  garden  (a 
Brobdignag  handkerchief  would  cover  it),  shows  an  ancient  shaky 
trellis  for  a big-leaved  vine  (is  it  the  “ Dutchman’s  Pipe  ” ?)  ; old-time 
herbaceous  flowers,  such  as  the  Fraxinella,  white  and  red,  are  there  ; 
so  are  lilies  of  the  valley,  and  tall  blue-bells  gone  astray  in  grass,  and 
giving  out  perfume  like  the  breath  of  babes  ; masses  of  moss-pink, 
too,  spreading  rosy  bloom,  and  hedges  of  box,  with  strange  mystic 
scent  from  their  stirred  leaves — odors  of  dead  years. 

It  is  not  long  ago  that  I came  upon  record — in  the  pleasant 
London  Garden — of  a Gloucestershire  parson,  who  wrote  with  unction 
and  zeal  and  knowledge  of  his  miniature  vicarage  ground,  and  of  his 
rockwork.  “ Six  feet  by  eight,  with  twenty-one  different  species  of 
plants  growing  in  it,  and  all  thriving  ; ” and  he  goes  on  to  detail 
other  horticultural  triumphs,  pleasant,  fine,  and  positive,  though  only 
himself  and  a “ fag  of  all  work  ” keep  the  exterior  machinery  of  the 
modest  country  home  he  lived  in  on  the  move  and  on  the  make.  Not 
money-making,  to  be  sure ; that  reckoning  Avere  a dishonest  Avav  of 
estimating  the  subtle  pleasures  of  those  who,  like  the  Gloucestershire 
parson,  enwrap  themselves — spring-time  and  autumn — in  the  delights 
of  a rural  home.  That  figure  of  the  factotum,  too,  has  its  country 
sufficiencies,  and  touches  of  familiar  regalement  for  a good  many  of  us 


THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE 


135 


who  have  conspired  with  sympathetic  architects  for  a home  in  the 
country  : ’tis  not  a de  Coverley  picture,  this  factotum  ; lean  and  slight ; 
cocking  his  eye  with  a knowing  upturn  to  read  all  promises  of 
weather  ; not  pinning  his  beliefs  to  newspaper  probabilities  ; scanning 
the  roses,  and  the  beans,  and  the  carrots,  with  a serener  faith  in  their 
growing  powers  than  comes  of  books ; doubled-up,  odd  whiles,  with 
agues;  but  slouching  to  his  rainy-day  plantings  under  a great  cover 
of  draggled  clothes  ; too  old  to  be  taught ; crowding  down  your  finer 
knowledges  with  Solomon-like  sayings,  and  enforcing  their  wisdom 
with  a sharp  catarrhal  discharge  between  thumb  and  forefinger  ; hon- 
est as  the  day,  and  with  a liumorsome  joy  shimmering  in  his  face  when 
he  sees  long-doubted  seeds  of  his  saving  breaking  the  ground,  and 
stays  his  hoe  for  a new  lighting  of  his  brier  pipe ; old  and  rheumatic, 
but  finding  compensation  in  his  mastery  of  the  ground  and  the  sea- 
sons. 

If  I were  to  search  in  a wide  New  England  neighborhood  for  one 
who  enjoyed  most,  and  made  the  most  of  a country  home — because  of 
its  countryish  elements — I do  not  think  I should  consider  the  great 
show  places  ; but  the  rather  some  modest  house,  half  sunk  upon  a hill- 
side ; its  basement  windows  fronting  the  morning  ; greensward  coming 
to  the  door ; the  conservatory  a window  shelf ; every  slip  of  a new 
plant  cherished  ; every  spring  some  modest  extension  of  the  flower- 
patch  ; a little  orchard  flanking  and  protecting  the  garden  where  the 
mistress  walks  proudly  among  her  nasturtiums  and  her  scarlet  beans, 
and  cares  as  tenderly  for  every  shrub  and  blooming  thing  as  for  the 
kittens  that  frolic  at  the  door. 

These  addenda,  these  surroundings,  are  to  be  considered  in  any 
estimate  of  the  forms  which  a country  house  should  take,  and  for  the 
conditions  which  it  should  most  wisely  fulfil.  No  country  house  which 
does  not  mate  with  “ all-round  ” country  laws  can  be  architecturally 
good.  Strip  the  vines  and  the  grouped  masses  of  foliage  from  that  old 
Bartram  house,  of  which  we  spoke  in  an  earlier  page,  and  there  is  left 
only  a coarse,  bare  hulk  of  wall.  Shear  away  those  piles  of  foliage — 


136 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


those  bristling  points  of  firs  which  approach  and  environ  it,  and — by 
proper  occasions  of  retreat — leave  embayments  of  sunny  turf  around 
the  great  Genesee  house,  which  was  figured  upon  an  earlier  page,  and 
we  should  fatally  misjudge  it.  That  modest  country  house — so  Avell 
known — of  Sunny  side,  which  was  for  so  long,  and  worthily,  a quick  - 
ener  of  rural  instincts,  o wes  no  small  proportion  of  its  charm  to  its 
entourage  of  foliage  and  the  great  vine  that  enwraps  its  principal  out- 
building. Modest  as  it  is,  and  inexpensive  in  its  details,  it  is  still  a 
good  exemplar  of  what  may  be  done  with  homely  material.  Mr.  Irv- 
ing certainly  had  the  rural  instincts  strongly  developed  ; long,  and 
very  tenderly  that  image  of  Wolfert’s  Roost  (his  charming  home)  lay 
near  to  his  thought,  and  brooded  there  through  years  of  Continental 
travel  —brooded  there  always  till  the  trees  were  planted,  the  duck- 
pond  set  to  its  flow,  and  the  old  Dutch  weather-vane  put  to  its  spin- 
ning over  the  crow-foot  gable  that  rose  above  his  southern  porch.  The 
dogs,  the  kittens,  the  doves,  the  cows,  even  the  pigs  of  his  country 
home,  were  all  companionable  with  him ; and  he  loved  the  things  of 
the  garden : not  the  flowers  only,  and  the  little  trap  of  a green-house 
he  had  improvised  in  a corner,  but  the  trim  rows  of  vegetables  as  well. 
With  what  a rare  gusto  (if  I may  play  the  reporter  upon  the  weak- 
nesses of  a host)  he  looked  upon  the  yellowing  melons,  bathing  in  the 
sunshine,  and  on  the  purple  glories  of  the  egg-plants  ! “ Not  like 

them  ! (with  a wondering  lift  of  the  eyebrows)  why,  a broiled  slice  of 
one  is  richer  than  a rasher  of  bacon.” 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


By  SAMUEL  PARSONS,  Jr. 


FRIEND  once  asked  me  for  advice  in  relation  to  a place  lie 


had  just  inherited.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  always  set 


out  and  do  the  thing  they  want  to  do,  and  then  ask  for  advice  when  it 
is  too  late.  Unsuspicious  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  I held  forth  at 
length  on  the  questions  of  site  and  other  equally  important  considera- 
tions connected  with  a small  country  place. 

Time  passed  and  I received  a pressing  invitation  to  spend  Sunday 
with  him.  Of  course,  on  reaching  the  place,  I naturally  hoped  to  see 
some  results  of  the  advice  so  freely  and  earnestly  given,  for  I had 
conceived  a high  regard  for  my  friend,  and  did  not  want  to  see  him 
go  wrong  and  waste  his  money.  To  my  surprise,  I came  upon  a con- 
spicuous example  of  most  of  the  errors  I had  warned  him  to  avoid. 
He  divined  something  of  the  thoughts  that  must  naturally  pass 
through  my  mind,  and  began  to  explain  that  he  had  done  most  of  this 
work  before  he  spoke  to  me.  Indeed,  he  waxed  earnest  and  ex- 
plained to  me  carefully  how  the  architectural  style  of  his  house,  old 
colonial,  required  a formal  treatment  of  the  paths  and  roads,  and  that 
a certain  grove  of  fine  old  shade  trees  had  to  be  cut  down  to  secure  a 
desired  view.  What  could  I say  ? The  damage  was  done.  I did  not 
want  to  make  my  friend  unhappy  by  insisting  on  his  mistakes. 
Moreover,  it  would  probably  be  lost  effort,  for  it  is  just  such  serious 
mistakes,  evident  at  once  when  attention  is  called  to  them,  that  the 
owner  of  the  place  will  not  see,  because  he  thinks  he  cannot  afford  to 


138 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


see  them.  Just  think  of  it ! Here  was  a great  river,  a high  bluff,  and 
a tine  oak-grove — one  of  those  groves  that  would  have  delighted  the 
souls  of  the  old  Greeks  or  Abraham  the  Patriarch.  It  was  only  ne- 
cessary to  shift  the  situation  of  the  house  a hundred  feet,  and  rear- 
range the  paths  and  roads,  and  the  desirable  views  would  have  been 
retained,  and  the  grove  not  only  saved  to  support  and  protect  the 
house  from  wind  and  storm,  but  made  a genuine  artistic  background 
for  the  house  itself.  As  it  was  the  grove  was  mutilated  to  get  a vista, 
and  the  house  stood  off  on  the  bluff,  lonely  and  unrelated  to  the  grove 
or  any  other  of  the  best  features  of  the  place.  There  was  little  or 
nothing  of  the  systematic  composition  of  a picture  which  should  char- 
acterize the  arrangement  of  all  country  places,  both  large  and  small. 

I have  referred  to  this  country  place  of  my  friend  to  show  the  im- 
portance of  selecting  properly  the  site,  not  only  that  the  architect  may 
exhibit  his  house  to  advantage,  but  that  the  house  may  be  duly  co- 
ordinated with  the  distinctively  interesting  and  artistically  important 
features  of  the  place.  It  should  always  be  remembered,  in  Tindertak- 
ing to  select  the  site  even  on  the  smallest  places,  that  every  plot  or 
territory  of  ground  has  characteristics  peculiar  to  itself,  and  to  no 
other  plot  of  ground  ; that  it  is  undulating  in  a certain  way ; that  it 
has  agreeable  or  disagreeable  outlooks  ; in  a word,  that  it  always  has 
a distinct  individuality  of  its  own.  The  true  way  to  manage  it,  there- 
fore, from  the  standpoint  of  one  who  wishes  to  develop  the  entire 
beauty  of  his  place,  is  to  study  all  the  features,  good  and  bad,  and 
tone  down  the  bad  ones  and  accentuate  the  good  ones. 

More  mistakes  are  made  in  selecting  sites  than  in  almost  anything 
else  in  landscape  architecture.  People  think  of  only  some  one  im- 
portant consideration  of  the  arrangement,  and  forget  everything  else. 
The  house  is  not  the  only  important  feature  of  the  place.  It  should 
not  be  allowed  to  obtrude  itself,  to  be  a discord  in  the  picture,  and 
obscure  other  important  and  charming  features. 

There  are  no  definite  rules,  of  course,  that  will  always  apply  to  the 
selection  of  a site  for  the  house.  Usually  it  should  not  be  placed  ex- 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


139 


actly  in  the  middle  of  a place,  or  close  to  the  front,  and  it  should  asso- 
ciate itself  in  some  way  with  some  considerable  plantation  of  trees 
that  may  already  exist. 

I am  speaking  of  considerations  that  must  be  met  in  a systematic 
way,  and  more  or  less  in  accordance  with  the  best  practice  of  the  art 
of  landscape  gardening.  But  avoid  being  too  conventionally  artistic. 
Use  common  sense,  and  first  of  all  make  your  grounds  comfortable 
and  convenient ; then  do  what  you  can  for  the  aesthetic.  The  latter 
may,  in  your  opinion,  be  of  the  most  importance,  bnt  the  former,  be 
sure,  will,  sooner  or  later,  revenge  itself  on  you  for  any  undue  neglect. 

Remember,  I am  speaking  now  of  all  country  places,  meaning 
thereby  a lot  that  may  be  only  25  feet  by  100  feet,  or  may  be  five  or 
six  acres.  In  any  case  you  are  devising  a picture  when  you  under- 
take to  lay  out  your  grounds,  even  in  the  most  simple  fashion  ; and 
any  arrangement  that  will  develop  and  present  with  the  best  effect 
the  most  artistically  valuable  features,  should  be  invariably  chosen, 
though  at  first  it  may  seem  odd,  and  not  in  accordance  with  your  con- 
ventional ideas  of  landscape  gardening  art.  Any  evident  attempt  at 
mere  oddity  is,  of  course,  bad,  and  destructive  of  the  harmony  of  the 
general  arrangement ; but  there  may  be  an  unusualness  of  treatment 
that  seems  odd,  though  in  reality  effective  and  harmonious,  simply  be- 
cause it  is  unconventional. 

Take  the  carriage  or  foot  entrances  of  a place  as  an  illustration. 
Usually  they  are  arranged  at  a little  distance,  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
from  the  boundary  lines  of  either  side  of  the  place,  but  frequently  the 
most  effective  way  to  enter  is  exactly  at  the  extreme  corner  of  the  lot, 
continuing  across  it.  This  is  certainly  not  a conventional  method, 
and  yet  it  is  an  effective  one. 

Having  selected  the  site  of  the  house,  and  entered  the  place  in 
such  a way  as  to  develop  and  perfect  its  essential  beauties  and  attrac- 
tions, let  us  see  what  we  should  next  consider  in  the  arrangement  of 
our  grounds. 


140 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Perliaps  we  can  only  liave  a foot-path  on  account  of  the  small  size 
of  our  place,  and  perhaps  a carriage-drive  may  be  .admissible  when 
we  have  grounds  of  two  or  three  acres  in  extent.  This  path  or  drive 
should  be  laid  out  and  constructed  before  the  actual  grading  and 
planting  is  done.  The  arrangement  of  lawn  and  plants  is  as  depend- 
ent on  the  situation  and  grades  of  the  roads  and  paths  as  on  the  loca- 
tion of  the  house. 

The  first  thing  you  must  require  of  a road  or  path  is  that  it  shall 
reach  the  house  by  a sufficiently  direct  course  to  serve  the  general 
convenience  of  the  place.  Keeping  this  in  view,  a certain  deviation 
may  be  allowed  that  will  permit  a better  distant  view,  or  the  exhibi- 
tion of  some  peculiar  attraction  of  the  lawn  or  plantations.  As  a rule, 
straight  lines,  absolutely  straight  lines,  are  to  be  avoided  in  landscape 
gardening.  The  slightest  winding  in  a road  or  path  almost  invariably 
renders  it  more  attractive.  As  with  all  rules,  this  one  has  its  excep- 
tions. It  may  be  specially  effective,  under  some  peculiar  circum- 
stances, to  arrange  a straight  avenue  to  the  house,  with  a formal  line 
of  trees  on  either  side  ; or  the  architecture  of  the  house  may  be  such 
as  to  suggest  on  its  immediate  borders  some  form  of  the  rectangular 
French  or  Italian  style  of  gardening.  Always  avoid,  if  possible,  sharp 
and  sudden  curves  in  your  roads  or  paths,  and  also  equal  reverse 
curves — that  is,  curves  that  exactly  repeat  each  other. 

The  width  of  roads  and  paths  is  another  consideration  that  must 
necessarily  depend  on  circumstances.  Ordinarily,  in  a small  country 
place,  I have  found  a path  of  five  feet  and  a road  of  thirteen  feet 
ample,  but  it  may  be  quite  as  reasonable  in  some  cases  to  make  the 
foot-paths  eight  feet  and  the  carriage-drives  fifteen  feet.  As  to  the 
question,  How  shall  I construct  my  roads  and  paths  ? much  depends 
on  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  on  how  much  the  paths  and  roads  are  to 
be  used.  Ordinarily  it  is  wise  to  lay  a foundation  of  broken  stone  six 
inches  deep  under  all  paths  and  one  foot  under  drives  for  the  sake  of 
drainage,  covering  them  with  fine  gravel  and  a little  clay. 

Continuing  the  carriage-drive  up  to  the  front  door,  we  are  met  by 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


141 


the  question,  Shall  we  make  a circle  or  an  oval  for  the  convenience  of 
turning  ? Again,  no  one  can  say  that  an  oval  or  a circle  might  not  be 
suitable  under  certain  circumstances.  Ordinarily,  however,  we  should 
avoid  these  forms,  particularly  the  circle.  There  will  be,  usually,  a 
tree  or  rock,  or  you  can  plant  or  place  one,  that  will  determine  more 
or  less  the  form  of  the  turn.  The  shape  is  not  of  so  much  importance 
so  long  as  it  conforms  to  lines  that  will  enable  a carriage  to  turn  with 
ease  and  without  a tendency  to  run  over  the  borders.  I have  found 
that  such  a turn  should  be  at  least  forty  feet  across  in  its  widest  part, 
with  its  curves  carefully  adjusted  to  the  easy  turning  of  an  ordinary 
carriage. 

Subsidiary  roads  for  bringing  supplies  to  the  house  should  be,  of 
course,  minimized  and  kept  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible  ; but  if 
convenience  requires  them,  no  mere  aesthetic  considerations  should 
prevent  their  employment.  Paths  should  be  likewise  allowed  only  as 
a comparatively  straight  and  easy  way  to  reach  a house  or  view. 

All  roads  and  paths  are,  indeed,  only  admissible  as  means  of 
reaching  a structure  or  view  ; otherwise  the  place  would  always  look 
better  without  them.  They  have  no  attractions  comparable  with  that 
of  grass,  flowers,  shrubs,  and  trees.  This  should  be  remembered 
whenever  the  question  of  making  a path  arises.  On  consideration, 
perhaps,  you  will  find  that  you  will  have  to  sacrifice  more  than  you 
will  gain,  and  the  path  will  stay  unmade.  On  the  same  principle,  try 
to  minimize  the  area  of  the  open,  bare  spaces  necessarily  made  by  the 
meeting  and  crossing  of  paths  and  roads.* 

After  the  paths  and  roads  are  made,  there  comes  the  preparation 
and  grading  of  the  lawns.  Manure  heavily  and  plow  or  dig  deeply, 
and  the  superior  growth  of  your  grass  will  abundantly  repay  you.  If 
you  want  a perfect  piece  of  greensward,  even  and  free  from  weeds,  let 
me  commend  to  you  the  use  of  carefully  selected  sods.  There  is  no 
other  way  of  making  such  perfect  grass  ; but  then,  I must  acknowl- 
edge, the  lawn  should  be  small  or  the  expense  of  sodding  must  be 

* See  Landscape  Gardening,  by  the  same  author. 


142 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


necessarily  great.  In  any  case,  tlie  borders  of  tlie  drives  and  walks, 
made  level  for  a foot  or  two  at  least,  whatever  the  steepness  beyond, 
should  be  sodded.  You  will  hardly  make  grass-seed  produce  a good 
permanent  border  in  a year  or  two  along  the  immediate  edge  of  a path 
or  road.  It  will  be  trodden  too  much,  or  suffer  greatly  from  other 
vicissitudes  incident  to  such  places. 

A word  also  should  be  said  about  the  parallelism  of  the  two  sides 
of  roads  or  paths.  Ordinarily,  as  everyone  knows,  the  width  of  a 
walk  or  road  is  kept  the  same  throughout  its  extent.  This  is  com- 
mon-sense that  is  also  conventional,  but  that  does  not  preclude  the 
wisdom  of  a systematic  variation  of  the  width  of  paths  and  roads 
wherever  convenience  requires.  Perhaps  a tree  may  force  a widen- 
ing, because  tlie  preservation  of  the  tree  is  of  more  importance  than 
the  adherence  to  the  conventional  rule  of  parallelism  of  path-  and 
road-lines.  Sometimes,  moreover,  the  necessity  for  a seat,  or  at  least 
the  space  for  the  lingering  of  several  pedestrians,  will  suggest  a wi- 
dening. I do  not  say  that  one  should  seek  to  be  odd  and  different  in 
his  methods  by  frequently  widening  the  paths,  but  simply  that  he 
should  not  be  slavishly  bound  by  a fancied  necessity  for  adhering  to 
the  parallelism  of  road-  and  path-lines. 

In  grading  the  lawn  we  should  be  largely  governed  by  the  original 
topography  of  the  ground,  by  its  special  idiosyncrasy,  of  formation,  if 
1 may  be  allowed  the  use  of  such  a term  in  this  connection.  If  the 
lawn  be  hollowing,  don’t  attempt  to  fill  it  up,  if  you  are  not  troubled 
by  difficulties  of  drainage  ; and  even  then  a land  basin  and  a pipe  led 
a short  distance  will  often  obviate  this  difficulty  entirely.  Sometimes 
even  you  will  find  it  best,  in  the  interest  of  developing  the  peculiar 
character  of  the  place,  to  deepen  the  hollow  of  the  lawn.  Then  again, 
part  of  the  lawn  may  be  hollow  and  part  convex,  and  yet  you  must 
not  attempt  to  make  it  level.  To  say  that  a level  lawn  is  not,  under 
most  circumstances,  desirable,  seems  to  be  a paradox.  But  it  is  a fact 
based  on  sound  principles  of  art.  Moreover,  in  most  cases,  you  will 
hardly  be  able  to  make  a level,  absolutely  level,  lawn,  hard  as  ever 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


143 


you  may  try.  Of  course,  you  should  smooth  off  the  asperities  of  the 
surface  and  secure  easy-flowing  lawn  contours.  Sometimes  you  can 
' improve  the  effect  of  the  undulations  by  judiciously  arranged  planting. 
But  never,  or  only  in  the  rarest  cases,  plant  the  crown  of  the  convex 
portions  of  your  lawn  and  bottom  of  your  hollows.  You  will  only 
thereby  lessen  the  attractive  variety  and  picturesqueness  of  the  sur- 
face. Every  contour,  every  line  of  a well-arranged  place,  will  be 
always  changing  to  the  eye,  not  abruptly  and  suddenly,  but  harmoni- 
ously and  gracefully.  There  must  be  no  monotony  of  line  anywhere 
■ — in  walks,  roads,  grass  surface,  or  plantations. 

Concerning  the  plantations  I should  have  much  to  say  did  space 
permit,  for  on  them  depends  largely  the  successful  composition  and 
coloring  of  the  place.  The  first  thing  to  consider  before  you  begin  to 
plant  is  the  adjustment  of  your  views,  vistas,  or  outlooks.  Ordinarily, 
except  where  you  require  for  some  reason  a special  outlook,  the  entire 
outside  border  of  the  place  should  be  planted  with  a mass  of  trees  and 
shrubs,  making  a hedge  of  irregular,  waving  lines.  Ordinarily,  too, 
there  should  be  something  like  seven  shrubs  to  every  tree,  the  shrubs 
standing  eight  or  ten  feet  apart  and  the  trees  forty  to  fifty  feet.  This 
rule  applies,  of  course,  to  only  large-growing  shrubs  ; the  smaller  ones 
can  be  tucked  in  round  about.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  establish  a 
lofty  tree,  like  the  elm,  tulip,  or  poplar,  at  each  marked  angle  of  the 
place  and  at  either  side  of  the  carriage  entrance.  It  tends  to  give 
character  to  the  entire  lawn.  If  you  have  room  enough,  one  of  the 
ways  of  emphasizing  certain  interesting  parts  of  your  country  place, 
and  especially  the  pleasant  home  character  of  the  house,  is  to  estab- 
lish a grove  near  that  building.  Set  out  the  best  shade-trees — elms, 
maples,  beeches,  tulip-trees,  liquid  ambars,  and  lindens — and  let  them 
stand  forty  or  fifty  feet  apart,  so  that  they  may  grow  into  broad  and 
lofty  trees,  dispensing  abundant  shade.  Such  a grove  near  the  house 
will  give  perpetual  delight  throughout  the  year.  Even  in  winter,  dur- 
ing snow-  and  ice-storms,  you  will  find  unfailing  pleasure  in  contem- 
plating the  unexpected  and  magical  effects  of  snow  and  ice  in  your 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


144 

grove,  and  moreover  find  comfort  in  seeking  its  protecting  shelter  if 
you  have  planted  a few  pines  in  the  midst.  Planting  groves  means  to 
many  people  simply  the  setting  out  of  a cluster  of  trees  eight  or  ten 
feet  apart  and  allowing  them  to  slowly  crowd  each  other  to  death. 
Properly  managed,  the  grove  may  be  the  most  delightful  and  admi- 
rable feature  of  all  country  places,  except  the  smallest,  and  even  there 
one  great  elm  or  beech  may  be  a grove  in  itself. 

In  adjusting  the  vistas  by  means  of  your  planting,  you  should  see 
that  the  longest  lines  of  view  are  secured.  Let  them  extend  diagonally 
from  corner  to  corner  of  your  place  if  you  can.  It  will  give  breadth 
and  largeness  to  the  treatment  of  the  entire  territory  that  will  greatly 
enhance  its  attractiveness.  Try  also  to  mass  your  lawn  into  as  large 
and  open  unplanted  spaces  as  possible.  It  increases  the  mucli-to-be- 
desired  breadth  of  the  place. 

At  all  intersections  of  paths,  at  entrance-gates,  etc.,  there  should  be 
planted  intermingled  masses  of  trees  and  shrubs,  so  arranged  that  the 
way  for  the  paths  and  roads  may  seem  to  have  been  hewn  through 
them.  I have  named  some  good  trees,  among  which  should  have 
been  included  the  white  birch  and  yellow  wood  or  cladastris  tinctoria. 
Let  me  also  give  you  the  names  of  some  thoroughly  excellent  shrubs, 
not  merely  rare  kinds,  but  such  as  you  can  readily  find  in  most 
well-stocked  nurseries.  Here  they  are  : Spiraea  opulifolia,  California 
privet,  Japanese  snowball,  common  snowball,  standard  honeysuckles, 
weigelas,  Philadelpliuses,  Japan  quince,  purple  berberry,  Thunberg’s 
spiraea,  lilacs,  hydrangea  paniculata  grandiflora,  white  fringe,  purple 
fringe,  and  golden  elder. 

Don’t  plant  trees  and  large  shrubs  close  to  the  house.  It  gives  a 
crowded  feeling  and  is  apt  to  obstruct  the  view  from  the  windows. 
Small-growing  shrubs  may,  however,  be  used  effectively  adjoining  the 
lioiise.  They  are  not  only  beautiful  in  themselves,  but  they  tend  to 
mask  the  base  of  the  house,  where  there  is  usually  a sharp  and  unin- 
teresting angle.  A few  specimens  of  shrubs  and  trees  may  be  al- 
lowed to  adorn  the  turn  in  front  of  the  house,  and  those  only  imme- 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


145 


diately  on  the  edge  of  the  curves,  so  as  to  leave  the  green  sward  of 
the  general  surface  of  the  turn  open  and  free.  If  possible,  make  the 
surface  also  slightly  undulating  here  as  elsewhere. 

Against  one  thing  let  me  warn  the  reader,  and  that  is  the  indis- 
criminate use  of  formal  foliage  or  flower-beds  on  most  lawns.  They 
are  apt  to  lend  a garish  and  vulgar  air  to  the  place.  Close  to  the 
house  you  may  sometimes  use  one  or  two  of  these  beds,  but  their 
bright  red  and  yellow  colors  should  be  set  a little  on  one  side  and  not 
allowed  to  glare  at  one  too  much.  I respect  the  universal  delight  in 
rich  color,  but  all  formal  patches  of  color  should  be  used  carefully  and 
in  proper  relations  to  the  whole  picture.  A discordant  mass  of  color 
hurts  the  eye  much  in  the  same  way  as  a voice  or  instrument  annoys 
the  ear  when  not  used  in  harmony.  It  is  far  more  harmonious  and 
satisfactory  in  most  cases  to  employ,  instead  of  beds  of  geraniums  and 
coleuses,  the  hardy  herbaceous  plants,  such  as  phloxes,  lilies  of  the 
valley,  harebells,  larkspurs,  hollyhocks,  blue  gentians,  and  the  like, 
tucked  away  in  the  edges  of  groups  of  trees  and  shrubs. 

I think  I have  now  given  a few  important  suggestions  concerning 
some  of  the  principles  of  treatment  that  apply  alike  to  both  small  and 
large  country  places.  But  in  order  to  illustrate  better  what  I mean,  I pro- 
pose to  ask  the  reader’s  attention  for  a brief  space  to  an  account  of  the 
treatment  of  a small  place  of  five  or  six  acres  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  East  River,  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  New  York  [p.  146].  This  place 
had  a somewhat  curious  history.  Thirty-live  or  forty  years  ago  one  of 
the  wealthy  men  of  New  York  bought  it,  probably  because  he  was  at- 
tracted by  its  bold  position  on  a point  or  bend  of  the  shore  of  the  river. 
On  this  tract  of  land  he  planted  at  the  time  a considerable  assortment 
of  shade-trees  and  a few  shrubs.  There  were  elms,  maples,  beeches, 
poplars,  lindens,  pines,  spruces,  and  other  trees  of  similar  character. 

In  the  course  of  time  these  trees  grew  to  great  dimensions,  for  the 
soil  was  naturally  rich  and  mellow,  and  excellently  adapted  to  the 


146 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


growth  of  trees.  The  place  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  family  of 
the  purchaser,  who  has  been  long  dead,  for  the  term  of  a generation, 
until  the  tract  became  a great  thicket  of  saplings  interspersed  with 
full-g  rown  specimens.  Here  and  there  along  the  river  bank  was  a 
grove  of  pine  and  other  trees  standing  free,  but  in  main  part  the  tract 
was  a close-set  wilderness. 


Country  Place  of  Six  Acres  on  the  East  River,  near  New  York. 


A purchaser-  for  the  place  finally  came,  eight  or  ten  years  ago,  and 
undertook  to  make  a home  for  himself.  The  tract,  of  course,  looked 
like  a tangle,  although  there  were  evidently  tine  trees  scattered  about. 
Many  people  would  have  started  in  with  an  axe  and  soon  swept  most 
of  the  wilderness  away.  But  the  present  owner  recognized  capabili- 
ties and  idiosyncrasies  pertaining  to  the  place  that  he  thought  charm- 
ing, and  therefore  he  proposed  to  develop  them.  The  place  was  to  be 
made  a genuine  woodland  home  a few  miles  from  New  York  City. 
Let  us  see  how  lie  accomplished  his  purpose. 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


147 


In  tlie  first  place,  at  the  southwest  corner  there  stood  an  enormous 
elm-tree,  just  a few  feet  within  the  boundary  line.  This  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  the  key-point  of  his  entrance  from  the  corner,  thus 
turning  the  course  of  the  drive  diagonally  across  his  land.  Eventually 
the  art  displayed  in  carrying  this  winding  road,  with  the  lines  of  a 
gently  flowing  river,  almost  directly  to  the  house,  constituted  one  of 
the  principal  charms  of  the  place. 

At  first  the  road  went  into  the  thicket  with  a sharp  curve  around 
the  elm,  and  then  straight  away  until  it  almost  reached  the  house, 
when  it  turned  suddenly  around  a “ circle  ” or  carriage  sweep.  By 
this  means  you  saw  nothing  of  the  place  and  house  until  you  had  gone 
many  yards  beyond  the  entrance,  and  even  then  you  only  caught 
glimpses  of  the  house  till  you  came  right  upon  it,  whereas  it  was  in 
reality  all  the  time  only  a short  distance  away.  Yet  you  did  not  feel 
shut  in,  because  just  after  you  left  the  elm-tree  and  passed  the  entrance 
of  the  winding  foot-path  that  commenced  here  to  skirt  the  place,  a 
tennis-ground  of  an  acre  in  extent  spread  out  before  you.  This  gave 
a charming  effect  of  openness  and  let  in  at  its  farthest  boundary  the 
western  sun  and  a noble  view  of  the  river.  This  was  literally  all  the 
clearing  that  had  been  made,  except  in  front  of  the  house,  where 
enough  trees  had  been  chopped  out  to  prepare  a small  carriage  turn 
about  a grass  plot  forty  feet  in  its  largest  diameter.  The  house  was  a 
low  two-story  structure,  utterly  unpretentious,  but  comfortable  and 
convenient.  Near  the  front  gate  a road  wound  off  to  the  outbuildings 
and  vegetable  gardens  in  such  a way  that  you  would  hardly  discover  it 
unless  you  were  keeping  a sharp  look-out.  A foot-path  meandered  by 
an  almost  secret  way  from  the  house  to  the  barn.  An  acre  and  a half 
would  probably  comprise  all  the  land  that  had  been  cleared  from  the 
original  seven  or  eight  acres,  and  really  you  would  hardly  realize,  ex- 
cept just  about  the  house,  that  any  trees  had  been  removed,  so  deftly 
had  the  work  been  managed  in  order  to  retain  the  original  spirit  and 
chief  beauties  of  the  place. 

Don’t  understand  that  there  was  not  a great  deal  of  work  laid  out, 


14S 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


because  there  was  ; but  it  was  of  a dainty,  unobtrusive  kind  that  sim- 
ply developed  and  perfected  existing  charms.  There  was,  for  instance, 
not  a formal  flower  or  foliage  bed  on  the  place,  but  all  along  the 
borders  of  the  woodland,  skirting  the  tennis-ground,  and  in  nooks 
everywhere  along  the  walks  that  skirted  the  entire  grounds,  there  were 
quantities  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants — harebells,  irises,  blue  gentians, 
crocuses,  phloxes,  daffodils,  in  fact,  wild  flowers  of  many  kinds,  besides 
those  found  growing  naturally  on  the  place.  Shrubs,  especially  Amer- 
ican shrubs,  were  planted  along  the  same  borders  wherever  weak  spots 
in  the  foliage  occurred.  The  only  planting  which  was  evidently  made 
for  ornament  came  close  to  the  house,  where,  Avith  a background 
of  woods,  grew  irregular  groups  of  rhododendrons  and  azaleas,  with 
two  or  three  choice  and  beautiful  specimens  of  eArergreens  of  Ioav 
growth. 

The  Avalk  skirting  the  place  was  a mere  narrow  foot-path  two  or 
three  feet  wide,  that  sought  all  the  most  beautiful  spots  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  which  bounded  the  tract  on  tAvo  sides.  At  the  points 
where  the  views  were  finest  the  path  was  widened  for  rustic  seats, 
from  which  one  might  gaze  at  ease  on  the  near  and  distant  stretches  of 
shining  river.  The  rest  and  repose  and  perfect  woodland  charm  of  the 
spot,  looking  out  on  the  river  laden  Avith  numerous  busy  craft,  was 
possessed  of  a unique  charm  that  I have  not  words  to  express.  There 
Avas  a pine-grove  also  that  I specially  affected.  It  was  open  and 
airy,  Avith  the  branches  far  up  and  a clean  carpet  of  brown  nee- 
dles beneath,  and  as  the  wind  played  the  peculiar  tune  of  the  pines 
and  the  glimpses  of  the  river  flashed  near  by,  I often  thought  that 
here  Avas  a grove  before  which  one  might  well  lift  one’s  hat  in  admira- 
tion. 

There  Avas  nothing  careless  or  unkempt  about  the  place.  It  was 
tidy,  the  plants  were  thriving,  the  grass  was  vigorous  and  well  kept, 
and  the  branches  of  the  great  trees  Avere  duly  pruned  ; and  yet  it 
Avas  all  so  unobtrusively  natural  that  the  wood-robins  and  other  birds 
seemed  to  make  it  their  home  instinctively. 


A Country  Place  of  Seven  Acres,  with  Pond,  in  the  Midst  of  Open  Country. 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


151 


But  tlie  estate  I have  described  was  originally  wooded  and  level, 
and  situated  on  the  banks  of  a great  busy  river.  Let  us  consider 
for  a few  moments  a place  in  Madison,  N.  J.,  where  the  original 
conditions  were  different.  It  will  serve  to  suggest,  and  perhaps 
solve,  for  the  reader  several  other  problems  that  are  likely  to  con- 
front him  [p.  119]. 

The  peculiarity  of  this  lawn  was  that  the  house  stood  on  a high 
knoll  that  sloped  down  steeply  to  a lake  of  an  acre  and  a half  in  ex- 
tent. A stone  bridge  crossed  a narrow  stream  a few  yards  in  length, 
which  connected  this  pool  of  water  with  a larger  one  above.  In  order 
properly  to  solve  the  problem  of  treating  a high  hill  with  the  house  on 
the  apex  and  a pond  below,  the  carriage-road  was  carried  around  a 
pear-shaped  turn  in  front  of  the  house.  This  turn  was  about  forty 
feet  in  its  largest  diameter.  Branch  roads  started  out  from  this  main 
road  for  the  convenience  of  reaching  the  back  of  the  house  and  the 
barn  and  stables.  The  points  where  these  branches  tapped  the  main 
road  were,  of  course,  heavily  planted  with  shrubs  and  trees,  so  as  to 
partially  conceal  the  presence  of  the  minor  drives  and  the  existence  of 
the  outbuildings.  The  main  drive  wound  in  one  long  curve  around 
the  easiest  contour  lines  of  the  hill,  thus  securing  comparatively  good 
grades  for  a road  traversing  a steep  hilly  territory. 

At  every  abrupt  turn  of  the  road  masses  of  trees  and  shrubs  were 
thrown  across  both  sides,  in  order  to  mask  the  exact  nature  of  the 
changes,  and  please  by  their  variety  and  unsuspected  nature.  On 
reaching  the  bank  of  the  lake  the  road  was  carried  along  at  a sufficient 
distance  from  the  water,  ten  or  fifteen  feet,  to  enable  water-loving  trees 
and  shrubs  to  grow,  such  as  willows,  poplars,  alders,  etc.  After  wind- 
ing along  the  bank  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  feet,  the  road  finally 
came  out  on  the  main  highway  through  a heavy  stone  gate  covered 
with  Japan  ivy  (Ampelopsis  tricuspidata)  and  masked  with  groups  of 
trees  and  shrubs.  The  road,  which,  after  crossing  the  stone  bridge, 
ran  northeast  along  the  base  of  the  house-lot  hill,  was  bordered  inside 
the  fence  by  an  irregular  plantation  or  hedge  of  trees  and  shrubs ; and 


152 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


up  around  tlie  house  were  scattered  large  shade-trees,  such  as  elms, 
maples,  beeches,  and  lindens. 

The  shores  of  the  lake  were  further  decorated  here  and  there  on 
prominent  parts  with  water-loving  trees  and  shrubs,  and,  above  all, 
the  edges  of  the  lake  were  carefully  sodded,  so  that  the  greensward 
dipped  everywhere  into  the  water.  Standing  on  the  road  a little  this 
side  of  the  bridge,  and  looking  on  the  still  surface  of  the  lake,  one 
could  see  the  whole  green  hill-side  with  the  house  and  trees  charm- 
ingly mirrored.  Both  ends  of  the  stone  bridge,  I should  have  said, 
were  masked  with  trees  and  shrubs  and  vines. 

The  place  just  considered  was  about  seven  acres  in  extent  and  on  a 
hill.  I will  now  ask  the  reader  to  consider  a place  of  similar  size,  situ- 
ated in  the  same  region  of  New  Jersey,  which  consisted  of  a deep  hoi-  * 
low  instead  of  a hill,  and  had  no  water  or  water  views.  The  whole  in- 
terior of  this  place  was  charmingly  varied  with  natural  groves  of  oak 
interspersed  with  a few  pines  [p.  153]. 

The  general  character  of  the  main  part  of  the  interior  had  been  left 
untouched,  except  that  some  of  the  trees  in  the  lowest  part  had  been 
cut  out  to  reveal  the  hill  depth  of  the  little  valley.  This  was  intended 
to  carry  out  the  general  principle  I have  endeavored  to  impress  on  the 
reader  already  in  this  paper,  that  he  should  seek  as  much  as  possible 
to  increase  the  variety  of  the  surface,  that  is,  make,  if  anything,  the 
hills  higher  and  the  valleys  deeper.  At  certain  points  of  the  heavily 
bordering  ivoodland  two  or  three  fine  views  were  opened  to  the  blue 
hills  in  the  extreme  distance. 

The  entrance  to  this  place  was  arranged  in  a somewhat  peculiar 
fashion.  It  came  on  the  extreme  outside  edge  of  the  valley  or  bowl  at 
a point  nearest  the  highway.  A hundred  feet  or  so  within  the  grounds 
the  drive  reached  the  house,  which  stood  on  a small  level  platform  of 
made  earth  extending  out  to  a sharp  declivity,  and  just  allowing  enough 
space  for  the  house  and  drive  and  a turn  around  beyond  it.  The  view 
from  the  front  door  was  charming,  and  a walk  winding  along  the  exter- 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


153 


ness  of  tlie  scene.  To  tliis  end  pruning,  fertilizing,  and  tlie  sowing  of 
grass-seed  were  practised  yearly. 

Of  a similar  Lilly  character  was  a place  I once  helped  to  arrange 
in  Lenox,  Mass.  Its  peculiarities  were  its  smallness  of  size  and  near- 
ness to  an  important  highway,  where  all  the  fashion  passed  by.  It 
was  only  an  acre  in  extent,  but  was  elaborately  constructed  of  rocks, 
terraces,  and  the  most  rare  and  choice  specimen  trees  and  shrubs  that 
could  be  obtained.  The  land  originally  sloped  sharply  down  from  the 
street,  so  that  the  house  perforce  was  raised  upon  high  walls  and  ter- 
races on  three  sides.  In  front  the  land,  however,  was  tilled  up  so  as 


ior  lines  of  the  place  revealed  many  beautiful  spots.  No  planting  in 
this  case  was  used,  except  about  the  gateway  and  on  and  about  the 
turn  in  front  of  the  house.  The  existing  attractions  of  valley  and 
native  plantations  were  greater  than  any  that  could  be  added,  and  ad- 
ditions would  probably  be  somehow  out  of  harmony  with  the  natural- 


A Place  of  about  Seven  Acres  in  a New  Jersey  Hill  Town. 


154 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


to  be  comparatively  level,  sloping  only  moderately  up  to  the  street. 
There  were  rare  and  beautiful  evergreens,  such  as  the  varieties  of  sil- 
ver firs,  pines,  retinosporas,  spruces,  rhododendrons,  hardy  azaleas, 
Japanese  maples,  etc.  For  the  sake  of  variety  the  carriage-road 
wound,  with  one  or  two  comparatively  sharp  curves,  a hundred  feet  or 
so  along  the  front  of  the  house,  and  so  around  a carriage  turn  made 
by  a widening  of  the  road,  and  out  at  the  other  gate.  The  stable 
stood  near  this  gate,  but  was  well  masked  with  large  trees  and  shrubs. 
Behind  the  house,  on  the  level  spaces  made  by  the  terraces,  was  ar- 
ranged a flower-garden  consisting  chiefly  of  herbaceous  and  annual 
flowering  plants,  set  out  specially  for  the  purpose  of  securing  plenty 
of  flowers  for  gathering.  This  place,  by  means  of  the  variety  of  the 
curves  of  its  roads,  the  number  of  its  interesting  features  of  trees, 
shrubs,  flowers,  and  greensward,  and,  in  a word,  by  its  possession  of  a 
great  share  of  landscape  beauty  in  a comparatively  small  space,  was 
and  remains  a model  of  its  kind. 

There  was  another  country  place  of  moderate  dimensions  that  I 
call  to  mind,  that  possessed  certain  peculiar  features  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. It  was  situated  near  both  the  Harlem  and  the  Hudson 
Rivers,  and  commanded  fine  distant  views,  and  had  the  same  high, 
hilly  character  as  the  place  in  New  Jersey.  [See  Frontispiece.]  This 
place,  however,  though  seven  acres  in  extent,  had  no  lake,  and  had  a 
large  formal  vegetable  garden  and  distant  barns  and  stables.  There 
were  many  large  and  fine  evergreens  on  the  place,  and  the  main  road 
has  been  led  to  the  east  door,  where  a turn  is  provided.  It  then 
passes  on  by  the  house  and  a short  distance  down  toward  the  barn, 
where  another  turn  is  secured  on  comparatively  level  ground.  The 
space  alloAved  by  the  steep  slope  directly  in  front  on  the  other  side  of 
the  house,  and  once  used  for  a contracted  turn,  has  been  therefore 
thus  abandoned.  Broad  lawns  have  been  kept  open,  and  distant 
views  preserved  in  arranging  the  plantations  ; and  a large  croquet- 
ground  has  been  laid  out,  with  a summer-house  beyond.  The  barns 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


155 


liave  been  all  shut  out  with  masses  of  foliage,  and  the  boundary  lines 
with  irregular  hedges  of  trees  and  shrubs.  One  peculiarity  of  this 
place  was  its  groups  made  up  of  some  single  kind  of  shrub  ; that  is, 
you  will  find  here  a great  group  of  weigelas,  there  one  of  spiraeas,  and 
yonder  one  of  snowballs.  I do  not  say  that  any  one  of  these  groups 
was  made  up  of  only  one  kind  of  shrub,  but  that  a large  majority  were 
of  one  kind.  Merely  dotting  about  on  the  lawn  a great  variety  of 
trees  and  shrubs,  one  or  two  of  a kind,  is  rarely  good  lawn  planting. 
You  should  have  enough  of  a kind  grouped  together  to  properly  ex- 
hibit its  special  mass  effect. 

I once  laid  out  a place  in  Kentucky  that,  I think,  illustrated  well 
what  could  be  done  on  an  acre  or  two  that  was  comparatively  level, 
and  inclined  to  be  slightly  monotonous  in  general  effect.  It  was  in  a 
town,  on  a public  street,  and  its  width  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
and  its  depth  four  hundred  and  fifty.  Apparently  there  was  not  much 
variety  to  be  secured ; yet  much  was  really  attained.  In  the  first 
place,  the  entrance  was  arranged  in  the  extreme  corner  of  one  side  of 
the  place.  Notice  how  this  arrangement  gave  a comparatively  wide 
lawn  on  your  right  hand  as  you  entered  the  place.  Trees  and  shrubs, 
of  course,  shut  out  your  view  just  at  the  gate,  but  in  a moment  a half- 
acre lawn  opened  out  with  a tree  or  two  and  a background  of  shrub- 
bery. A smaller  lawn  lay  across  the  road  to  the  left  hand,  and  then 
about  a hundred  feet  from  the  entrance  the  road  divided  right  and  left 
into  two  branches,  which,  after  hugging  the  exterior  boundaries  of  the 
place,  enclosed  an  ample  central  lawn  of  another  half  acre. 

On  reaching  the  house,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  gate, 
the  two  winding  roads  united  again,  and  passed  in  a straight  line  one 
side  of  the  house  to  the  stables,  leaving  on  the  way,  in  front  of  the 
kitchen  door,  an  ample  widening  for  the  carts  of  butcher  and  baker. 
Heavy  plantations  screened  this  road  and  its  widening  and  allowed 
another  open  half-acre  lawn,  ornamented  with  choice  single  specimen 
trees,  and  backed  by  a portion  of  the  same  irregular  hedge  that 
surrounded  the  whole.  There  were  magnolias,  weeping  beeches, 


156 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


drives,  on  either  side,  and  about  forty  to  fifty  feet  apart  and  ten  feet 
back,  grew  fine  shade-trees — the  American  linden,  the  tulip-tree,  the 
purple  beech,  the  liquid  ambar,  the  Norway  maple,  and  the  white 
birch.  Entirely  around  the  place  were  planted  irregular  hedges  of 
trees  and  shrubs,  with  here  and  there  openings  for  looking  out  at 
some  agreeable  view. 

Of  yet  simpler  nature  and  more  unpretentious  character  was  a 


Grounds  of  a House  at  a Summer  Watering  Place. 


weeping  elms,  red  flowering  horse-chestnuts,  and  Kentucky  coffee- 
trees. 

In  front  of  the  house  across  the  road  was  a great  wide-spreading 
American  elm,  and  a little  further  on,  bordering  the  drive,  a rich-col- 
ored plant  bed  of  coleus,  geranium,  and  alternautlieras.  All  along  the 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


157 


place  I knew  at  Narraganset  Pier,  It.  I.  [p.  156].  To  remember  tliat  it 
was  on  the  seashore,  and  was  level,  with  sandy  soil,  is  to  bring  its  lim- 
itations within  a small  compass.  The  house  had  been  originally  ar- 
ranged, more  by  accident  than  design,  in  the  middle  of  the  plot.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  secure  comparatively  wide  and  long  open  side  lawns 
the  two  entrances  were  brought  nearer  together  than  usual,  directly  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  only  twenty-five  feet  apart.  The  drives  then 
led,  in  a long,  narrow  liorseslioe-shaped  curve,  a hundred  feet  to  the 
front  door.  A back  entrance  was  arranged  at  the  extreme  rear  of  the 
lot  within  ten  feet  of  its  limit,  and  by  a straight  road  the  butcher  and 
the  baker  were  led  to  an  ample  turn  before  the  kitchen  door.  This 
road  was  well  masked  with  shrubbery  standing  two  or  three  irregular 
rowrs  deep.  The  remainder  of  the  planting,  however,  was  limited  to  a 
single  waving  border  of  shrubs,  with  occasional  shade-trees,  extending 
around  the  exterior  boundary  of  the  place.  A half  dozen  low  shrubs 
were  used  near  the  house,  such  as  the  Japan  rose,  Rosa  rugosa,  Phila- 
delphia aureus  nanus,  etc.  By  this  arrangement  comparatively  large 
lawns  were  secured  and  the  greatest  breadth  of  treatment  possible 
under  the  circumstances. 

The  grass  was  not  very  strong,  but  was  kept  green  and  fresh- 
looking  by  fertilizing  and  watering.  The  shrubs  and  trees,  on  ac- 
count of  their  exposed  seashore  position,  were  the  toughest  and  hardi- 
est kinds,  such  as  laurel-leaved  willow,  American  elm,  balsam  poplar, 
honey  locust,  California  privet,  standard  honeysuckle,  spiraea  opuli- 
folia,  viburnum  plicatum  and  Y.  dentatum,  philadelpliuses,  weigelas, 
altlieas,  and  hydrangea  paniculata  grandiflora. 

The  last  place  the  treatment  of  which  I am  going  to  consider, 
though  not  strictly  within  my  title,  is  a large  city  lot  in  Baltimore,  Md. 
In  size  this  lot  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep  and  seventy- 
five  feet  in  width  or  frontage  on  the  street.  Back  from  the  street 
sixty  feet  stood  the  house,  or  houses,  for  the  use  of  two  brothers,  with 
an  open  court-yard  between.  These  houses  were  elegant  and  expen- 


158 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


half  feet  each,  both  would  have  been  insignificant  in  size,  but  see  the 
way  the  one  common  lawn  was  treated  so  as  to  give  it  the  greatest 
possible  apparent  breadth  and  variety  of  effect.  At  three  irregular 
points,  about  twenty  feet  apart,  entrances  for  foot-paths  were  made, 
thereby  disguising  any  sign  of  a dividing  line  between  the  two  places, 
and  giving  each  one  a separate  walk  of  his  own.  In  the  centre  a path 
common  to  both  families  was  allowed  to  wind  (for  all  these  paths 
wind).  The  outside  paths  clung  close  to  the  outer  boundary,  thus  se- 
curing the  greatest  space  possible  for  open  lawns.  At  three  corners  or 


sive.  The  rear  yard  was,  of  course,  small,  but  really  deep  enough  for 
all  practical  purposes  [illustration  below]. 

And  iioav  let  me  explain  the  peculiarity  of  the  treatment  of  the 
front-door  yard  of  these  two  houses  that  made  it  much  more  attractive 
than  most  places  of  the  kind.  You  will  notice  that  if  the  yard, 
seventy-five  feet  wide,  had  been  divided  into  two  of  thirty-seven  and  a 


Rural  Treatment  of  a Place  of  Two  Lots  in  a City. 


SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES 


159 


nooks  of  these  paths  rustic  summer-houses  were  contrived,  and  from 
these  and  other  points  vistas  were  carefully  managed.  On  the  outer 
boundaries  of  the  lot  and  sparsely  along  the  paths  were  disposed  the 
finest  specimens  of  the  rarest  trees  and  shrubs  that  could  be  obtained. 
There  were  rhododendrons,  azaleas,  Japanese  maples,  dwarf  magno- 
lias, kalmias,  Thunberg’s  berberry,  in  fact  all  kinds  of  plants  that 
were  not  only  rare  and  beautiful,  but  especially  such  as  possessed  a 
symmetry  and  elegance  of  their  own  befitting  the  dignity  and  finished 
art  of  a city  door-yard  or  lawn.  The  turf  being,  after  all,  the  most  im- 
portant feature  of  a city  place,  was  also  kept  in  the  most  exquisite 
order  by  incessant  weeding  and  watering  and  by  yearly  fertilizing. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


By  W.  A.  LINN 


HEN  men  of  small  means  found  out  that  a business  enterprise 


which  no  one  of  them  could  conduct  alone  was  possible  for 


them  by  uniting  their  labor  and  their  capital,  they  discovered  the 
secret  of  co-operation. 

When  they  found  out  that  by  uniting  their  surplus  earnings  they 
could  provide  themselves  with  homes  of  their  own,  instead  of  remain- 
ing subject  to  the  demands  of  landlords,  they  put  co-operation  to  one 
of  its  most  beneficent  uses. 

This  kind  of  co-operation  is  most  popularly  known  under  the 
name  of  Building  and  Loan  Associations ; but  the  official  title  differs 
in  different  places.  In  England  the  common  designation  is  “ Build- 
ing Societies.”  Those  formed  under  the  New  York  statute  of  1887 
must  be  called  “ Co-operative  Savings  and  Loan  Associations.”  In 
Massachusetts  they  were  first  styled  “ Co-operative  Saving  Fund  and 
Loan  Associations,”  a title  which  was  changed  by  a later  act  to  “ Co- 
operative Banks.”  But,  whatever  their  title,  the  object  and  general 
plan  of  operation  are  the  same. 

Exactly  how  long  ago  this  kind  of  co-operation  was  devised  is 
uncertain.  But  if  we  discard  as  unverified  the  statement  that  the 
essential  principle  of  our  modern  Building  and  Loan  Association  sys- 
tem was  known  and  employed  during  the  Greek  republic  and  among 
the  Anglo-Saxons  in  England,  we  can  still  find  for  it  a verified  origin 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS  161 

ancient  enough  to  prove  that  it  is  no  novel  scheme  of  a speculative 
age. 

H.  F.  A.  Davis,  a very  intelligent  writer  on  the  subject,  gives 
Birmingham,  England,  as  the  place,  and  the  year  1781  as  the  date,  of 
the  first  known  association  formed  for  the  object  of  assisting  its  mem- 
bers to  build  or  purchase  houses.  In  the  earliest  association  de- 
scribed, each  member  paid  in  10s.  6d.,  on  each  share  of  stock  lie  held, 
every  month.  A subscriber  for  three  shares  was  entitled  to  have  “ one 
or  more  houses  built  for  him  of  the  value  of  200  guineas ; ” a sub- 
scriber for  two  shares,  one  or  more  houses  of  the  value  of  £110 ; and 
a subscriber  for  one  share,  “ a single  house,  value  £70.”  By  1795 
“ Building  Clubs  ” had  become  common  in  Birmingham.  The  rules 
or  by-laws  of  the  “ Greenwich  Union  Building  Society  ” have  come 
down  to  us  from  those  early  days ; and  it  is  curious  to  note  how 
closely  they  resemble  the  by-laws  of  the  best-planned  associations  in 
this  country  to-day.  A notable  difference  is,  however,  that  the  mem- 
bership was  limited  to  fifty.  The  legality  of  such  organizations  under 
the  common  law  seems  first  to  have  been  called  in  question  in  some 
proceedings  in  which  this  last-named  society  was  a party.  And,  the 
suit  having  terminated  in  its  favor,  we  are  told  that  “ similar  societies 
were  formed  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  Scotland,  Lancashire,  and 
South  Wales  being  the  districts  where  they  were  most  popular.”  The 
Earl  of  Selkirk,  a philanthropic  man  of  wealth,  was  instrumental  in 
establishing  a society  at  Kirkcudbright,  Scotland,  in  1815.  The  sys- 
tem must  have  proved  a steady  success,  for  the  number  of  societies  or 
associations  has  kept  on  increasing  throughout  Great  Britain,  reaching 
2,050  by  the  year  1851,  with  an  annual  income  of  £4,000,000  ; and 
returns  made  to  Parliament  showed  that,  in  July,  1888,  the  societies 
numbered  2,404,  with  assets  of  £54,200,620  and  a membership  of  over 
six  hundred  thousand. 

Edmund  Wrigley,  a leading  American  writer  on  the  subject,  fixes 
the  date  of  the  introduction  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association  sys- 
tem in  this  country  at  about  the  year  1840.  Philadelphia  seems  to 
11 


162 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


liave  seized  most  readily  on  the  idea  ; but  associations  were  also 
formed  not  only  in  other  Northern  cities,  but  in  Charleston,  Savannah, 
and  other  cities  in  the  South  and  West.  At  first  they  were  organized 
without  the  assistance  of  special  statutes  regarding  them  ; their  man- 
agers, for  instance,  being  trustees  appointed  by  deed.  But  as  experi- 
ence gave  wisdom,  the  aid  of  the  Legislatures  was  sought ; and  now  in 
almost,  if  not  quite,  every  State  where  interest  in  the  matter  has  been 
excited,  there  are  laws  governing  the  organization  and  management  of 
such  corporations.  As  this  legislation  generally  has  not  yet  reached 
a state  of  perfection  which  requires  exact  statistical  returns,  as  in  the 
case  of  bank  legislation,  the  number  of  these  organizations  in  this 
country,  their  membership,  and  their  assets,  cannot  be  given  precisely. 

A conservative  calculation,  however,  places  the  number  of  associa- 
tions doing  business  in  this  country  at  between  5,00(J  and  6,000,  with 
a probability  that  it  may  exceed  the  latter  figures.  Pennsylvania 
leads  the  list  with  1,200,  Ohio  is  second  with  800,  and  Illinois  and  In- 
diana come  next  with  600  and  400,  respectively.  New  England  is 
credited  with  175,  the  Southern  and  Southwestern  States  with  825, 
Nebraska  and  Iowa  with  200,  and  California  with  100.  In  the  way  of 
exact  statistics,  the  Banking  Department  of  New  York  for  1892  reports 
415  associations  in  that  State,  with  a total  membership  of  134,574,  out- 
standing shares  numbering  1,308,921,  and  assets  of  $28,049,736.  The 
report  of  the  New  Jersey  Labor  Bureau  for  the  same  year  shows  that 
there  are  272  associations  in  that  State,  having  78,700  members,  own- 
ing 518,000  shares,  and  with  assets  of  $25,600,000.  Judge  Seymour 
Dexter  estimates  the  assets  of  all  the  associations  in  the  United  States 
at  $455,454,000,  the  membership  at  1,410,000,  and  the  annual  receipts 
at  $180,000,000. 

There  has  been  some  discussion  about  the  effect  of  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  building  and  loan  association  system  on  savings  bank 
deposits.  Mr.  F.  B.  Sanborn,  in  a report  to  the  Social  Science  Associ- 
ation in  1888,  estimating  the  investment  in  the  Minnesota  associations 
at  $18,000,000,  said : “ The  deposits  in  Minnesota  savings  banks 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


163 


liardly  exceed  $2,000,000 ; and  the  rapid  growth  of  these  associations 
has  certainly  checked  the  growth  of  savings  banks  there  as  it  has  in 
Rochester  and  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  Pittsburg,  and  in  every  State  west  of 
the  Alleghanies.”  A decrease  of  $893,703  in  the  deposits  of  the  New 
York  City  savings  banks  in  1888,  as  compared  with  1887,  and  of  $346,- 
322  in  those  of  Brooklyn,  was  attributed  to  the  recent  increase  in  the 
number  of  associations  in  those  cities.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Labor 
Bureau  report  of  New  Jersey  for  1892  says  that  the  association  move- 
ment there  has  “ apparently  not  affected  that  of  the  savings  banks,” 
and  it  cites  official  figures  showing  that  the  New  Jersey  savings  banks, 
which  in  1869  had  deposits  of  $11,551,369,  had  in  1892  deposits  of 
$33,807,634.  There  is  plenty  of  room  for  both  of  these  agencies  of 
thrift.  But  the  truth  doubtless  is  that  different  localities  are  affected 
differently  by  the  competition.  In  the  South  the  building  and  loan 
system  is  making  rapid  progress,  while  the  savings  bank  has  gained 
but  a slender  foothold  there.  As  the  accumulations  under  the  building 
and  loan  system  have  amounted,  in  this  country,  in  the  last  forty-five 
years,  to  something  like  $1,000,000,000,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  a part 
of  this  has  been  diverted  from  the  savings  banks. 

What,  now,  is  this  system  of  co-operation  which  has  stood  so  long 
a trial,  lias  won  its  way  so  steadily  and  generally  into  popular  favor, 
and  has  produced  so  wonderful  financial  results  ? Why  does  it  com- 
mend itself  to  so  many  persons  of  small  incomes,  and  why  have  fail- 
ures under  it  been  so  rare  ? 

A Building  and  Loan  Association  is  a corporation,  regularly 
formed  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  its  locality  ; generally,  as  I have 
explained,  a statute  especially  adapted  to  this  form  of  business.  Its 
officers  consist  of  a president,  vice-president,  secretary,  treasurer, 
board  of  directors,  and  a counsel.  There  may  be  slight  variations 
from  this  list.  For  instance,  in  some  associations  auditors  and  ap- 
praisers are  included  in  the  number  of  officers  annually  elected  ; while 
in  others  the  auditors  are  chosen  just  previous  to  the  close  of  the  ofti- 


104 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


cial  year,  to  examine  tlie  secretary’s  accounts,  and  appraisers  are 
appointed  from  time  to  time  as  loans  are  made.  In  small  towns  the 
secretary  is  the  only  salaried  officer  ; in  other  places  a salary  is  paid 
both  to  him  and  to  the  treasurer,  and  in  some  large  associations  in 
New  York  City  and  in  the  West  the  president  receives  compensation. 
Aside  from  the  salaries,  the  expenses  consist  of  the  rent  of  a room  for 
holding  the  meetings  and  receiving  the  dues,  the  cost  of  the  necessary 
printing,  and  incidentals.  Small  associations  pay  rent  for  a room 
only  one  or  two  evenings  in  a week.  Larger  ones  require  more  per- 
manent accommodations.  I can  cite  an  association  in  a suburb  of 
New  York  City  which,  in  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence,  issued 
1,869  shares  of  stock  and  accumulated  assets  of  $33,061,  and  whose 
total  expenses  for  those  years  were  about  five  hundred  dollars.  In 
cities  like  Philadelphia,  where  associations  are  very  numerous,  and 
the  accounts  of  many  series  have  to  be  kept  in  each,  it  is  customary 
for  one  person  to  be  employed  as  secretary  by  several,  his  duties 
becoming  those  of  a professional  accountant.  To  show  the  responsi- 
bility of  such  a position,  an  instance  may  be  mentioned  in  which  the 
secretary  of  six  associations  handled  $4,939,728  from  1879  to  1886, 
inclusive. 

The  persons  composing  a Building  and  Loan  Association  agree  to 
pay  into  their  treasury  a certain  sum,  at  fixed  periods,  on  each  share 
that  they  own,  until  their  shares  through  such  payments  and  the  accu- 
mulated profits  reach  their  par  value,  or,  as  it  is  technically  termed, 
“mature.”  The  stated  payments  (called  “dues”),  their  frequency, 
and  the  par  value  of  the  stock  vary.  The  most  general  rule  is  that  $1 
shall  be  paid  on  every  share  once  a month  until  a par  of  $200  is 
reached.  When  the  shares  “ mature  ” the  assets  in  the  treasury  are 
divided  among  the  shareholders.  Just  as  fast  as  the  money  is  paid  in 
it  is  offered  in  the  shape  of  loans  to  the  members — and  to  the  mem- 
bers only — the  security  taken  being  a mortgage  on  real  estate  and  an 
assignment  to  the  association  of  the  borrower’s  stock.  The  amount 
which  a member  is  entitled  to  borrow  equals  the  par  value  of  his  or 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


165 


lier  shares.  Thus,  in  an  association  where  the  par  value  is  $200,  a 
member  who  wants  $1,000  must  own  live  shares.  As  every  member 
has  an  equal  right  to  become  a borrower,  the  disposition  of  the  loans 
is  made  by  putting  the  money  up  at  auction,  from  time  to  time,  and 
awarding  the  loan  to  that  member  who  will  give  the  highest  premium 
above  the  regular  interest  rate.  The  Building  and  Loan  Association 
laws  provide  that  the  acceptance  of  these  premiums  shall  not  consti- 
tute usury.  In  order  that  the  dues  and  interest  shall  be  paid  regu- 
larly, the  by-laws  provide  that  they  shall  be  received  only  by  the  sec- 
retary, and  by  him  only  at  the  stated  meetings  ; and  there  is  a small 
tine  for  a non-payment,  which  is  increased  from  meeting  to  meeting,  a 
delinquency  for  a certain  period  causing  the  forfeiture  of  the  stock,  or 
giving  ground  for  the  foreclosure  of  a mortgage. 

The  interest  is  paid  weekly  or  monthly,  and  the  interest  money, 
with  the  dues  and  any  other  receipts,  goes  into  the  treasury,  to  be 
loaned  at  once.  It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  a Building  and  Loan 
Association  whose  money  is  in  demand  not  only  receives  interest  con- 
stantly on  the  dues  paid  in  by  all  the  members,  but  that  it  compounds 
this  interest.  Herein  lies  the  chief  secret  of  the  profitableness  of  this 
system  of  investment. 

To  explain  more  particularly  the  operations  of  one  of  these  associ- 
ations (the  details  of  management,  of  course,  differ) : The  regular 
meeting  night  finds  the  secretary  seated  at  his  desk,  with  one  or  two 
of  the  directors  at  his  side  as  tellers.  The  members,  who  are  pro- 
vided with  pass-books,  as  in  the  case  of  savings  bank  depositors, 
hand  in  their  dues  (and  interest,  if  borrowers)  to  the  secretary,  who 
enters  the  amount,  receipts  for  it  with  his  initials,  and  announces  the 
name  and  deposit  to  the  tellers,  each  of  whom  enters  the  same  in  a 
separate  blotter.  At  the  close  of  the  evening  each  of  these  blotters 
must  balance  with  the  amount  of  money  in  the  secretary’s  hands ; if 
there  is  any  error  it  is  looked  for  at  once.  Thus  a perfect  check  is 
placed  upon  the  secretary.  When  the  money  is  counted,  the  secre- 
tary pays  it  over  immediately  to  the  treasurer,  who  is  required  by  the 


166 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


by-laws  to  deposit  it  in  a designated  bank  within  twenty-four  hours. 
As  the  treasurer  is  under  bonds,  the  money  is  safe  while  it  is  in  his 
hands.  For  greater  security  it  is  customary,  with  some  associations, 
to  require  the  signatures  of  two  directors  to  the  association’s  checks, 
in  addition  to  those  of  the  president,  secretary,  and  treasurer.  Dur- 
ing the  course  of  the  evening,  when  there  is  money  on  hand,  some  offi- 
cer, usually  the  president,  announces  that  a loan,  or  loans,  will  be ' 
made  to  the  highest  bidder  or  bidders.  A member  who  thus  becomes 
entitled  to  a loan,  at  once  gives  to  the  counsel  a description  of  the 
property,  with  a plan  of  the  house,  if  he  intends  to  build  a new  one, 
and  the  premises  are  examined,  as  soon  as  practicable,  by  the  asso- 
ciation’s appraisers.  When  the  directors  receive  the  appraisers’ 
report  they  decide  whether  the  loan  is  a safe  one  or  not.  In  reaching 
this  decision  each  application  is  considered  on  its  own  merits.  A pri- 
vate lender  would  simply  inquire  if  there  was  a good  margin  of  value 
above  the  amount  of  the  loan  ; but  in  the  case  of  an  association  bor- 
rower the  directors  inquire  into  the  applicant’s  personal  character,  and 
find  out  his  employment  and  his  salary,  wages,  or  income.  If  this 
results  satisfactorily,  and  the  premises  proposed  to  be  bought  are  not 
beyond  the  applicant’s  means,  then  the  directors  can  take  into  further 
consideration  the  facts  that  the  borrower  will  begin  to  pay  off  his  debt 
at  the  very  next  meeting  of  the  association,  and  that  experience  has 
proved  that  a person  who  is  securing  a home  in  this  easy  way  will 
make,  in  most  cases,  almost  any  sacrifice  rather  than  see  the  property 
pass  out  of  his  hands.  I have  never  seen  a happier  man  than  a German 
laborer  who  stood  in  front  of  a little  house,  just  finished,  which  his 
Building  and  Loan  Association  had  put  up  for  him.  And  the  pleasure 
expressed  in  his  countenance  seemed  to  me  a better  assurance  that  he 
would  clear  the  debt  from  that  house,  than  the  bond  of  many  a richer 
man  would  be  that  the  latter  would  meet  his  payments.  Dr.  Keck,  the 
pioneer  organizer  of  these  associations  in  Cincinnati,  had  to  complain 
a few  years  ago  that  the  desire  for  membership  there  was  so  great  that 
“ many  people  suffer  by  it — the  butcher,  the  baker,  the  doctor,  the 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


167 


tenant,  the  landlord.”  While  this  is  an  admission  that  the  business 
may  be  overdone,  it  also  shows  how  strong  is  the  desire  “ to  own  a 
home  ” when  once  the  way  to  do  this  is  opened  up  to  a man  to  whom 
it  has  seemed  an  impossibility. 

Loans  are  made  to  members  either  to  purchase  houses  already 
erected,  to  build  houses,  or  to  remove  existing  encumbrances.  If  a 
member  borrows  to  build  a new  house,  the  money  is  not  paid  over  to 
him  in  bulk,  but  is  paid  to  the  contractor,  on  the  audit  of  the  owner 
and  the  association’s  building  committee,  as  the  work  proceeds. 

One  of  the  great  advantages  of  these  associations  as  assistants  of 
persons  of  small  means  is,  that  they  can  safely  lend  very  close  to  the 
appraised  values.  Seventy  per  cent,  to  a man  of  good  habits  is  con- 
sidered an  excellent  risk,  and  Mr.  Paine,  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Banking  Department  of  New  York  State,  in  a work  recently  published, 
says  : “ It  is  seldom  that  a loan  of  more  than  eighty  per  cent,  of  the 
appraised  value  of  mortgaged  property  is  absolutely  secure.” 

The  earliest  Building  and  Loan  Associations  contemplated  the  is- 
sue of  stock  all  of  the  same  value,  members  joining  at  any  time  after 
the  date  of  organization  paying  back-dues  sufficient  to  effect  this  ; 
and  all  the  members  were  to  continue  the  payment  of  their  dues  until 
maturity  was  reached,  when  the  mortgages  of  the  borrowers  were  to 
be  cancelled,  the  non-borrowers  would  receive  the  par  value  of  their 
shares  in  cash,  and  the  life  of  the  association  would  end.  This  was  a 
perfectly  feasible  scheme,  but  there  were  reasons  why  it  did  not  work 
with  entire  satisfaction.  As  an  association  grew  older,  the  cash  pay- 
ment required  of  new  members  steadily  increased,  and  the  growth  of 
membership  ceased.  In  the  course  of  time  the  list  of  would-be  bor- 
rowers was  exhausted,  the  funds  remained  inactive,  and  at  best  a large 
sum  had  to  be  accumulated  to  pay  the  shares  of  the  non-borrowers. 
So  the  life  of  the  association  was  prolonged  beyond  the  original  cal- 
culation. 

To  obviate  this  difficulty  it  has  been  found  best  to  issue  shares  in 


168 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


successive  “ series,”  the  present  value  of  the  shares  of  each  series  being 
kept  equal,  the  funds  of  all  being  loaned  together,  and  the  profits  be- 
ing apportioned  among  the  different  series  according  to  their  age  and 
assets.  Such  an  association  is  called  a “ permanent  ” or  “ serial  ” one  ; 
the  first-mentioned  a “ terminating  ” one.  The  frequency  of  the  issue 
of  new  series  is  regulated  by  the  demand — as  quarterly,  semi-annually, 
or  annually.  A “ serial  ” association,  too,  presents  this  advantage  : A 
member  of  an  older  series  who  has  not  borrowed  on  his  shares  may 
withdraw  the  amount  to  his  credit  when  it  equals  the  price  of  a lot, 
buy  his  land,  enter  a younger  series,  and  in  it  borrow  the  money  to 
erect  his  house.  Thus  a “ serial  ” association  is  constantly  creating  for 
itself  a body  of  borrowers,  and  borrowers,  it  must  ever  be  kept  in 
mind,  are  the  life  of  the  system. 

The  “ terminating  ” plan  still  finds  favor  in  some  places,  associa- 
tions of  this  kind  in  Philadelphia  being,  it  is  said,  for  some  unex- 
plained reason,  most  popular  among  the  Germans  and  Irish.  In  Read- 
ing, Pa.,  where  there  are  a number,  a reason  given  for  not  discarding 
the  older  plan  is  that  members  like  to  know  that  “ an  association  can 
wind  up  and  pay  all  its  members,”  and  that  the  fixing  of  a date  for 
termination  is  a check  on  the  concealment  of  mismanagement.  To  ob- 
viate the  disadvantages  above  referred  to,  a new  association,  instead  of 
a new  series,  is  started  every  year,  with  practically  the  same  officers, 
one  secretary,  for  instance,  acting  for  a dozen  associations.  But  with 
honest  management  and  intelligent  book-keeping  the  serial  plan  is 
much  less  cumbersome. 

In  some  States  the  total  number  of  shares  which  an  association 
may  issue  is  limited  by  law.  There  are  three  statutes  governing  these 
corporations  in  New  York.  The  older  one  (that  of  1851)  contains  no 
limitation  of  this  kind.  By  the  statutes  of  1887  and  1892  the  out- 
standing shares  of  the  value  of  $200  each  cannot  exceed  10,000.  In 
Pennsylvania  the  limit  is  2,500  shares  of  $200  each,  and  in  Massachu- 
setts 5,000  of  the  same  value.  In  New  Jersey,  by  an  amendment 
passed  in  1888,  all  limitation  as  to  the  number  of  shares  to  be  issued 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


169 


by  an  association  working  under  tlie  serial  plan  is  removed.  Careful 
writers  on  the  subject  point  out  danger  to  an  association  whose  shares 
become  too  numerous  ; but  this  danger,  I would  say,  would  be  realized 
only  in  a large  city  where  the  number  of  associations  did  not  increase, 
as  usual,  with  the  demands  for  stock.  If  2,500  shares  seem  a small 
limit,  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  a “ serial  ” association  there  are 
constant  transfers  from  one  series  to  another,  as  well  as  voluntary 
withdrawals  from  membership  and  compulsory  retirements. 

A word  of  explanation  about  the  latter.  The  essence  of  success  in 
a Building  and  Loan  Association  is  to  keep  all  the  funds  in  active  op- 
eration— to  have  no  money  lying  idle  in  the  bank.  But  even  in  a 
“serial”  association,  if,  as  a series  approaches  maturity,  any  consider-- 
able  number  of  non-borrowing  shareholders  remain,  the  officers  will1, 
have  to  accumulate  a cash  fund  to  meet  the  matured  value  of  their 
shares.  The  number  of  such  investors  is  in  practice  found  to  be  smaller 
than  might  be  supposed,  owing  to  the  voluntary  withdrawal  of  shares. 
But,  to  provide  for  an  emergency,  directors  are — or  should  be — given 
authority  to  retire  the  shares  of  non-borrowing  members  from  time  to 
time,  as  their  series  grow  older  and  the  condition  of  the  treasury  war- 
rants. The  Massachusetts  statute  requires  such  withdrawals,  and  its 
text  on  this  point  may  be  cited  as  an  illustration  : 

“ The  directors  may,  at  their  discretion,  under  rules  made  by 
them,  retire  the  unpledged  shares  of  any  series  at  any  time  after  four 
years  from  the  date  of  their  issue,  by  enforcing  the  withdrawal  of  the 
same  ; but  whenever  there  shall  remain  in  any  series,  at  the  expiration 
of  five  years  after  the  date  of  its  issue,  an  excess  above  one  hundred 
unpledged  shares,  then  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  directors  to  retire 
annually  twenty-five  per  centum  of  such  excess  existing  at  said  expira- 
tion of  five  years  after  the  date  of  its  issue,  so  that  not  more  than  one 
hundred  unpledged  shares  shall  remain  in  such  series  at  the  expiration 
of  nine  years  from  the  date  of  its  issue ; and  thereafter  the  directors 
may  in  their  discretion  retire  such  other  unpledged  shares  as  they  con- 
sider the  best  interests  of  the  bank  to  require  ; provided,  that  when- 


170 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


ever  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  the  withdrawal  of  shares  is 
to  be  enforced,  the  shares  to  be  retired  shall  be  determined  by  lot,  and 
the  holders  thereof  shall  be  paid  the  full  value  of  their  shares,  less  all 
lines  and  a proportionate  part  of  any  unadjusted  loss ; provided  also 
that  shares  pledged  for  share  loans  shall  be  treated  as  unpledged 
shares.”  In  some  associations  the  matured  shares  are  allowed  to  con- 
tinue as  paid-up  stock  and  to  draw  interest  until  it  is  convenient  to 
pay  them  off. 

To  show  how,  in  actual  practice,  the  number  of  existing  shares  in 
older  series  decreases,  I have  compiled  the  following  table  of  the  ex- 
isting number  of  shares,  in  six  New  Jersey  associations,  from  the  re- 
port of  the  State  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  Labor  and  Industries  for 
1886  : 

Number  op  Shares. 


Oldest  series 

63 

12 

48 

71 

99 

5 

Next  oldest 

57 

17 

21 

67 

76 

5 

Next  oldest 

62 

17 

10 

55 

97 

1 

Next  oldest 

59 

22 

10 

40 

101 

8 

Next  oldest 

160 

18 

7 

31 

161 

5 

Next  oldest 

207 

45 

11 

97 

252 

12 

Next  oldest 

135 

64 

31 

100 

274 

29 

Next  oldest 

336 

44 

29 

189 

197 

52 

Next  oldest 

385 

85 

38 

411 

283 

27 

Next  oldest 

425 

183 

55 

753 

530 

96 

Next  oldest 

543 

257 

86 

924 

608 

150 

Next  oldest 

682 

274 

189 

Members  are  allowed  to  withdraw  their  shares  as  they  wish,  so 
long  as  the  total  demand  of  this  kind  does  not  exceed  a fixed  limit  at 
any  one  time  ; as,  for  instance,  one-half  of  the  dues  of  a month.  This 
provides  against  a possible  “run”  on  the  association.  Withdrawing 
members  receive  back  their  dues  paid  in,  less  fines  and  their  share  of 
any  losses,  and  such  proportion  of  accumulated  profits  as  the  by-laws 
of  their  association  may  provide.  The  earlier  associations  made  no 
provision  for  the  cancellation  of  mortgages  before  the  maturity  of  the 
borrowers’  shares,  or  none  except  where  other  members  stood  ready 


BUILDING  ANI)  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


171 


to  borrow  the  money  paid  in.  But  experience  showed  that  many  per- 
sons were  deterred  from  borrowing  of  an  association  without  the  privi- 
lege of  removing  the  encumbrance  at  their  convenience  ; as,  for  in- 
stance, if  an  opportunity  occurred  to  make  an  advantageous  sale  of 
the  property  to  some  one  who  wanted  to  pay  cash  in  full.  It  is  conn 
ing  to  be  the  practice,  therefore,  to  permit  a borrower  to  pay  off  his 
mortgage  at  any  time  on  a given  notice,  the  money  being  either  loaned 
again  or  used  in  retiring  shares. 

The  most  perplexing  problem  that  presents  itself  to  a person 
whose  attention  is  first  directed  to  the  Building  and  Loan  Association 
system  of  borrowing  is  this  : How  can  a member  be  benefited  by  a 
loan  on  which  he  pays  a premium,  in  addition  to  the  regular  rate  of  in- 
terest ? It  is  well,  therefore,  that  this  feature  of  the  system  be  per- 
fectly understood. 

At  the  start  it  must  be  remembered,  first,  that  this  premium  is  in 
reality  only  a payment  made  by  a borrower  for  the  privilege  of  having 
the  immediate  use  of  the  par  value  of  his  shares,  for  which  the  non- 
borrower is  obliged  to  wait  a term  of  years  ; and,  second,  that  the 
money  in  the  treasury  is  put  up  at  auction,  in  quest  of  a premium, 
only  in  order  to  give  all  the  members  an  equal  chance  to  secure  it.* 
In  England,  and,  I think,  in  this  country,  other  plans  of  assigning 
loans  have  been  tried.  Sometimes  they  have  been  assigned  by  lot ; 
but,  under  this  scheme,  the  money  would  often  go  to  members  who 
did  not  care  to  use  it,  and  they  would  dispose  of  it  to  other  mem- 
bers at  a premium  which  went  into  their  own  pockets.  In  other 
associations  a list  of  applicants  for  loans  has  been  made  out,  and 
the  money  paid  over  to  them  in  turn  ; but  this  did  not  prove  satis- 
factory. 

Again,  in  considering  the  premium  feature  it  must  be  remembered 
that,  as  the  premiums  all  go  into  the  common  treasury,  each  payer 

* Associations  in  which  a minimum  premium  is  fixed  are,  I think,  very  excep- 
tional. 


172 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


of  a premium  shares  the  premiums  paid  by  all  the  other  borrowers, 
and  that  the  larger  the  average  premiums,  the  greater  are  the  profits 
of  the  association,  and  the  sooner  is  the  stock  matured  and  the  bor- 
rower’s mortgage  cancelled.  I have  heard  the  statement  made,  “ I 
would  rather  belong  as  a borrower  to  an  association  whose  money 
brings  thirty  per  cent,  premium  than  to  one  which  gets  only  three  or 
live,  because  my  debt  would  be  so  much  the  sooner  discharged.” 
Practically,  this  only  means  that  such  a person  is  able  to  make  larger 
payments  in  order  to  shorten  the  time.  By  the  majority  of  members 
of  such  organizations  easy  payments  are  most  desired. 

Courts  have  held  that  the  fixing  of  a minimum  premium  is  ille- 
gal, but  they  have  held  that  usury  cannot  be  pleaded  when  the  pre- 
mium is  determined  by  open  competition.  Thus  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York  (25  Barb.,  263)  so  held,  and  the  New  York  Court  of 
Appeals  (1  Abbott’s  Appeal  Decisions,  347)  has  sustained  this  reason- 
ing. 

But  let  us  look  further  into  the  profits  of  these  associations,  which 
premium-paying  borrowers  share. 

If  each  member  of  a Building  and  Loan  Association,  the  par  value 
of  whose  stock  is  $200,  contributed  $1  a month  to  its  treasury,  and 
there  were  no  expenses  and  no  profits,  the  shares  would  mature  in  two 
hundred  months,  or  sixteen  years  and  eight  months.  But  in  a pros- 
perous association,  while  the  expenses  are  very  small,  every  dollar  that, 
comes  into  the  treasury  is  kept  earning  other  dollars,  the  interest,  as  I 
have  explained,  being  compounded  monthly.  The  profitableness  of 
this  system  of  lending  may  be  seen  from  the  statement  that  while 
$1,000  at  six  per  cent.,  simple  interest,  will  earn  only  $300  in  five 
years,  it  will,  if  the  interest  is  compounded  annually,  earn  $338.22T6Tr, 
and,  if  the  interest  is  compounded  monthly,  will  earn  $348.83^- ; and 
the  gain  goes  on  increasing  with  every  successive  year.  From  this 
cause  the  members  of  a Building  and  Loan  Association,  instead  of 
waiting  sixteen  years  and  eight  months  for  their  shares  to  become 
worth  $200  each,  find  the  par  value  attained  in  a much  shorter 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


173 


period.  And  just  as  soon  as  this  is  attained  a borrower’s  mortgage 
disappears. 

Exactly  how  long  a series  of  shares  must  run  to  reach  maturity 
cannot  be  calculated  precisely  in  advance,  because  it  is  impossible  to 
foresee  the  rate  of  premiums  offered,  the  expenses,  the  number  of 
withdrawals,  etc.  An  association — to  use  Wrigley’s  illustrations — that 
(1)  makes  a profit  of  ten  per  cent,  per  annum  on  the  average  time  will 
mature  its  stock  in  ten  years  and  ten  months ; (2)  making  thirteen 
and  a quarter  per  cent.,  will  mature  in  ten  years  ; (3)  making  twenty- 
seven  per  cent.,  will  mature  in  eight  years.  In  calculating  the  with- 
drawal value  of  shares  in  associations  using  the  “ gross  ” or  “ net  ” 
system  of  paying  premiums  (to  be  explained  hereafter),  it  is  custom- 
ary in  this  country  to  estimate  the  life  of  a series  at  ten  years,  and  in 
England  at  twelve  years.  Albert  Shaw,  Pli.D.,  in  his  papers  on  “ Co- 
operation in  a Western  City,”  published  by  the  American  Economic 
Association,  says  of  the  Mechanics’  and  Workingmen’s  Loan  and 
Building  Association  of  Minneapolis,  which  began  business  in  1874 
with  a membership  of  forty-five,  and  whose  receipts  are  now  from 
$80,000  to  $90,000  a year  : “The  average  premium  bid  for  loans  has 
been  forty-two  and  one-eighth  per  cent.,  and  the  final  cost  to  the  bor- 
rower  is  about  eight  per  cent.,  while  the  ‘freeholders’  (those  whose 
shares  remain  unpledged  to  the  close  of  the  series)  gain  about  twelve 
per  cent,  annual  compound  interest  on  their  savings.”  These  state- 
ments are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  premium  need  not  be  a cause  of 
alarm  to  borrowers  in  these  associations.  At  the  same  time  I am  an 
advocate  of  low  premiums,  and  think  the  aim  of  the  officers  of  an  as- 
sociation should  be  to  keep  premiums  down  rather  than  to  run  them 
up. 

But  I may  illustrate  this  fact  very  clearly  by  simple  figures. 

Suppose  that  A and  B each  borrows  $3,000  at  the  same  time,  A of 
a Building  and  Loan  Association  on  fifteen  shares  at  five  per  cent, 
premium  and  six  per  cent,  interest,  and  B of  a private  lender  at  the 
same  rate  of  interest  but  without  any  premium,  B to  pay  his  principal 


174 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


at  tlie  same  time  that  A’s  shares  mature.  Supposing  that  maturity 
is  reached  (1)  in  ten  years  and  (2)  in  thirteen  years,  the  two  accounts 
will  stand  as  follows  : 


1. 

2. 

A,  Paid  in  monthly  dues  . . . . 

Paid  in  interest 

Paid  in  premium 

....$1,800 
....  1,800 
....  150 

A,  Paid  in  monthly  dues  . . . . 

Paid  in  interest 

Paid  in  premium 

....$2,310 
. . . 2,340 

....  150 

Total  payments 

...  $3,750 

Total  payments 

..  . .$4,830 

B,  Principal 

Interest 

$3,000 

....  1,800 

B,  Principal . . 

Interest 

$3,000 

....  2,340 

Total  payments 

Total  payments 

. . . .$5,340 

Under  the  first  example  A pays  $1,050  less  than  B,  and  under  the 
second  $510. 

If  the  person  of  whom  B borrows  permits  him  to  pay  the  interest 
and  $180  (the  amount  of  A’s  annual  dues)  of  the  principal  annually, 
under  the  system  of  partial  payments,  it  will  require  between  thirteen 
and  fourteen  years  to  liquidate  the  debt. 

A further  analysis  of  these  figures,  that  is  sometimes  made  in 
Building  and  Loan  Association  prospectuses,  is  this  : A’s  total  pay- 
ments in  ten  years  being  $3,750,  and  the  principal  actually  borrowed 
on  being  $3,000.  the  total  amount  he  has  to  charge  to  interest  is  $750 
for  the  ten  years,  or  $75  a year,  which  is  at  the  rate  of  two  and  one-half 
per  cent,  per  annum  ; or,  if  his  series  runs  thirteen  years,  his  interest 
charge  is  $1,830,  or  $140.77  a year,  which  is  at  the  rate  of  four  and 
seven-tenths  per  cent,  per  annum.  Expert  accountants,  who  have 
been  employed  to  find  flaws  in  the  Building  and  Loan  Association 
system,  have  made  haste  to  point  out  that  a member  of  an  association 
continues  to  pay  interest  on  the  whole  amount  borrowed,  while  his 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


175 


clues  are  constantly  decreasing  that  amount,  and  lienee  that  this  is 
only  an  apparent  interest  rate.*  But  the  vital  question  with  a person 
who  borrows  a few  hundred  or  thousand  dollars  with  which  to  secure 
a home,  and  which  is  to  be  paid  back  in  small  instalments,  is,  “ How 
large  a sum  out  of  my  income  for  the  next  ten  or  twelve  years  will  be 
required  to  make  my  payments  ? ” If  anyone  will  lend  him  the  re- 
quired amount,  with  the  understanding  that  he  is  to  pay  the  principal 
at  the  end  of  ten  or  twelve  years  and  only  annual  interest  meanwhile, 
can  he  find  any  way  in  which  to  invest  his  accumulating  principal  (if 
he  does  accumulate  it)  which  will  so  rapidly  increase  it  to  the  required 
amount  as  the  Building  and  Loan  Association  increases  it  for  him  ? 
If  he  is  A in  the  above  examples,  he  will  be  a good  way  ahead  of  his 
neighbor  B financially  when  their  respective  debts  are  paid.  A’s  pay- 
ments are  small,  systematic,  and  at  the  same  time  imperative.  When 
he  goes  home  from  every  meeting  of  the  directors  he  says,  “ My  house 
is  so  much  nearer  being  my  own.”  And  when  he  attends  a quarterly 
or  annual  meeting  of  his  association  at  which  the  profits  are  reported, 
and  he  finds  a sum  to  his  credit  beyond  any  that  he  has  paid  in,  he 
learns,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  the  secret  of  making  money  saved 
earn  other  money. 

It  is  quite  as  easy  to  show  by  figures  the  economy  of  buying  one’s 
house  with  the  assistance  of  a Building  and  Loan  Association  as  com- 
pared with  paying  rent.  The  following  statement  is  only  given  as  a 
form  of  comparison  ; every  prospective  borrower  can  change  the  fig- 
ures to  suit  his  own  locality. 

C and  D occupy  houses  worth  $3,000  each  (lot,  $600,  and  build- 
ing, $2,400).  C is  a tenant,  paying  $25  per  month.  D,  with  $600 
in  cash,  has  borrowed  $2,400  on  twelve  shares  of  a Building  and 
Loan  Association,  and  built  his  house.  Supposing  that  D’s  shares 

* In  what  has  heen  called  the  “ Ohio  system  ” the  dues  paid  in  are  deducted  at 
stated  periods  from  the  principal,  and  interest  is  charged  only  on  the  remainder.  As 
this  necessarily  prolongs  the  life  of  a series,  the  benefit  to  the  borrower  is  more  figura- 
tive than  actual. 


176 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNT  11 1 


mature  in  twelve  years,  tlieir  accounts  at  the  end  of  that  period  will 
stand  thus  : 

0 lias  paid  out  $3,600  in  rent,  and  has  nothing  to  show  for  it. 


D has  paid  out:  Monthly  dues $1,728 

Interest 1,728 

Premium,  live  per  cent 120 

Search 50 

Taxes 260 

Insurance 100 

Interest  on  value  of  lot 432 

Total $4,418 


The  neighborhood  must  be  a very  inactive  one  where  the  increased 
value  of  the  property  will  not  more  than  offset  the  cost  of  repairs. 
We  find,  then,  that  D owns  his  premises  by  paying  out  only  $818 
more  than  C,  who,  at  the  end  of  the  period  named,  has  nothing  to 
show  for  his  money. 

One  or  two  things  remain  to  be  said  in  explanation  of  the  premium 
system.  There  is  constant  discussion  among  writers  on  the  subject 
about  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  very  large  premiums.  As 
I have  pointed  out,  average  high  premiums  mean  larger  payments  for  a 
shorter  time.  An  element  of  trouble  comes  in  when  high  premiums  in 
the  early  years  of  an  association  are  followed  by  low  ones  later  on. 
Then,  evidently,  the  earlier  borrowers  pay  a higher  rate  of  interest  than 
those  who  follow  them.  In  actual  practice,  where  no  minimum  pre- 
mium is  fixed,  the  amount  bid  will  be  regulated  by  the  law  of  supply 
and  demand.  Start  a pioneer  association  in  a place  of  considerable 
size,  where,  for  the  first  time,  an  opportunity  is  afforded  to  secure 
homes  under  this  easy  system  of  payments,  and  competition  will  prob- 
ably run  the  premiums  offered  to  a high  figure  ; and  this  rate  may  be 
kept  up  for  a good  many  years  in  places  like  St.  Paul  and  Minneapo- 
lis, whose  growth  is  rapid  and  whose  accession  of  wage-earners  is 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


177 


constant.  But  with  the  demand  for  loans  will  certainly  come  new 
associations,  an  enlargement  of  the  loan  fund,  and  a diminution  of  pre- 
miums. Take,  for  example,  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia ; 
the  former  has  been  very  slow  to  take  advantage  of  this  kind  of  co- 
operation, most  of  its  existing  organizations  being  only  a few  years 
old.  Premiums  of  sixty  per  cent.,  and  perhaps  more,  have  been  paid 
for  loans  in  New  York  within  the  last  year.  In  Philadelphia,  Mr.  M. 
J.  Brown,  editor  of  The  Building  Association  and  Home  Journal,  writes 
me  : “ Very  few  associations  are  obtaining  any  premium  on  loans. 
Good  borrowers  can  obtain  all  the  money  needed  without  a premium. 
The  premium  is  no  longer  a factor  here.” 

There  are  about  thirty-five  associations  in  New  York  City,  and 
some  four  hundred  and  fifty  in  Philadelphia.  Hence  the  difference. 
High  premiums  were  once  as  eagerly  offered  in  the  latter  place  as  they 
now  are  in  the  former. 

There  are  different  ways  of  paying  the  premium.  Under  what  is 
known  as  the  “ gross  plan  ” the  premium  is  deducted  in  advance  from 
the  sum  that  is  loaned,  while  interest  is  charged  on  the  whole  amount. 
Under  the  “net  plan”  the  premium  is  deducted  as  before,  but  inter- 
est is  charged  only  on  the  sum  which  the  borrower  receives.  Under  a 
third  system,  known  as  the  “ instalment  plan,”  the  premium  is  paid  in 
monthly  instalments.  This  last  plan  avoids  many  difficulties  encoun- 
tered under  the  others,  as  in  calculating  the  value  of  shares  at  any 
time.  A fourth  method,  sometimes  practised,  is  to  issue  to  a bor- 
rower additional  stock  whose  par  value  shall  equal  the  premium  paid ; 
this  makes  his  payments  of  dues  on  the  additional  stock  instalment 
payments.  Still  another  plan  which  has  been  tried  is  to  have  the  rate 
of  interest  determined  by  competition.  This  is  again  the  instalment 
plan.  A premium  of  five  per  cent,  on  the  gross  plan  is  equal  to  about 
eight  cents  per  month  on  the  instalment  plan. 

At  first  glance  it  might  seem  as  if  there  was  unfairness  in  the  posi- 
tions occupied  in  an  association  by  the  two  classes  of  members,  the 
12 


178 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


borrowers  and  the  non-borrowers,  the  former  sharing  the  premiums 
and  interest  paid  by  the  latter.  But  this  is  a superficial  view.  I 
doubt  if  any  association  is  ever  organized  in  these  days  in  which 
those  members  who  wish  to  borrow  at  one  time  supply  the  requisite 
sum  in  dues  ; so  that  immediate  borrowers  require  the  non-borrowers' 
assistance.  Besides,  a large  class  of  borrowers  is  supplied  from 
among  those  who  may  be  mere  investors  at  the  start.  As  most  asso- 
ciations lend  oidy  on  first  mortgage,  requiring  a borrower  to  own  a fee 
in  the  land,  many  persons  purchase  shares  who  own  no  land  and  have 
no  money  to  buy  any,  and  very  likely  never  would  have  any  without 
the  aid  of  some  systematic  plan  of  saving.  But  after  they  have  been 
non-borrowing  members  for  a certain  time,  they  find  that  their  savings 
are  large  enough  to  enable  them  to  buy  the  coveted  piece  of  land.  So 
they  withdraw  their  accumulations,  secure  their  lots,  take  shares  in  a 
new  series,  and  become  borrowers  in  turn.  The  non-borrowers,  too, 
are,  or  should  be,  liable  to  peremptory  retirement  whenever  their  as- 
sistance is  no  longer  necessary. 

Considered  abstractly  as  a beneficial  feature  in  a community,  an 
association  of  this  kind  would  be  commendable  if  it  only  induced  a 
number  of  persons  to  lay  aside  small  sums  every  month,  without  pay- 
ing them  any  profits.  And  it  is  the  cultivation  of  the  habit  of  saving 
which  is  one  of  the  best  arguments  in  favor  of  the  Building  and  Loan 
Association  system,  especially  as  such  associations  can  be  formed 
where  the  establishment  of  a savings  bank  would  be  impracticable. 

If  complete  statistics  of  these  associations  in  this  country  and  in 
Great  Britain  were  available  they  would  prove  the  safety  of  the  system 
by  showing  the  very  small  number  of  failures  under  it.  But  this  plan 
of  investment  has  not,  in  every  case,  worked  satisfactorily,  and  it  is 
well  to  consider  the  disappointments  in  order  to  warn  investors  and 
managers  that  it  is  possible  to  go  astray. 

I am  informed  that  in  the  Western  States  and  in  Massachusetts, 
where  so  many  associations  have  been  for  years  in  operation,  no  in- 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


179 


stance  of  a failure  is  on  record.  In  the  early  history  of  the  associ- 
ations in  Pennsylvania  some  of  them  did  not  work  out  satisfactorily ; 
but  this  was  because  of  ignorance  in  their  Board  of  Directors.  The 
premiums  were  paid  on  the  “ gross  plan,”  and  early  retiring  members 
were  allowed  so  large  a share  of  the  apparent  immediate  profits  that 
those  who  remained  “ came  short,”  and  the  date  of  maturity  was  un- 
duly prolonged.  The  largest  list  of  failures  and  the  fullest  history  of 
their  causes  are  to  be  found  in  New  York  State. 

Before  the  year  1851  several  associations  were  organized  in  this 
city  without  the  assistance  of  a legislative  enactment.  The  popularity 
of  the  idea  became  so  great  that  an  “ act  for  the  incorporation  of 
building,  mutual  loan,  and  accumulating  fund  associations  ” was 
passed  by  the  Legislature  in  1851,  and  it  is  stated  that  by  1856  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  of  them  were  doing  business  in  this  State, 
while  already  it  appears  that  more  than  thirty  had  gone  out  of  ex- 
istence. A reaction  set  in,  and  complaints  by  members  were  so  fre- 
quent that  the  Legislature  in  1855  appointed  a special  committee  to 
investigate  the  subject  and  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  Their 
report  is  numbered  46  in  volume  iii.  of  Assembly  Documents.  This 
report  specifies  two  causes  “ which  have  had  much  to  do  with  the 
creation  and  embarrassment  of  these  associations.”  The  one  “ was  the 
commercial  activity  which  followed  the  discoveries  on  the  Pacific,” 
and  the  other,  “ the  commercial  crisis  consequent  upon  an  extended 
trade  which  those  discoveries  had  seemed  to  warrant.”  In  the  time  of 
inflation  almost  everybody  felt  able  to  assume  the  responsibility  of 
the  payment  of  dues  and  interest,  as  well  as  a liberal  premium.  When 
hard  times  came  members  could  not  meet  their  payments,  and  when 
they  found  that  their  investments  were  likely  to  be  lost  through  fore- 
closure, they  appealed  to  the  courts  and  the  Legislature  for  relief. 
This  cause  of  trouble  might  have  affected  only  the  defaulting  mem- 
bers, and  not  the  associations  as  a whole,  but  many  of  the  early  asso- 
ciations accepted  second  mortgages  as  security,  and  this,  the  report 
says,  was  one  fruitful  source  of  complaint.  Mismanagement  by  the  of- 


180 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


ficers  was  also  charged.  The  rush  of  withdrawals  Avas  so  great  that  in 
some  associations  the  receipts  Avere  put  up  at  auction,  and  the  person 
avIio  would  take  the  smallest  sum  for  his  shares  Avas  paid  off  first.  The 
evils  of  the  system  seemed  so  great  to  this  committee  that  they  recom- 
mended a repeal  of  the  act. 

Judge  Seymour  Dexter,  in  a paper  read  before  the  Social  Science 
Association  in  1888,  cited  some  failures  outside  of  New  York  City. 
The  first  association  organized  in  Rochester,  in  1852,  Avas  Avound  up, 
having  failed  to  realize  the  expectations  of  its  members,  probably  from 
the  causes  just  named.  The  next  effort  in  that  city  Avas  made  nine- 
teen years  later,  and  in  the  ensuing  years  a number  of  associations 
Avere  organized  there  ; but  some  “ Building  Lot  Associations,”  which 
had  in  vieAv  a real  estate  speculation,  Avere  also  founded  there  at  the 
same  time.  The  latter  came  to  grief,  and  having  been  confounded  in 
the  public  understanding  Avitli  Building  and  Loan  Associations,  these 
received  much  injury.  Tavo  or  three  associations  in  existence  in  Al- 
bany in  1871  lost  heavily  through  bad  management,  some  of  their 
loans  having  been  made  on  second  mortgages.  One  association  or- 
ganized in  Elmira,  and  another  in  Waverly,  in  1871,  Avere  closed  before 
maturity,  Avith  consent  of  the  stockholders.  An  association  started  in 
Elmira,  in  1875,  began  with  by-laAvs  accepting  no  premium  of  less  than 
$10  a share  (tAventy  per  cent.).  There  Avas  great  demand  for  the  stock 
at  first,  but  Avlien,  after  four  or  five  years,  the  borrowing  slackened, 
the  minimum  rate  of  premium  was  reduced  one-half  without  obviating 
the  trouble.  Eight  years  ago  the  minimum  premium  was  abolished 
entirely,  and,  Ave  are  told,  “ from  that  time  the  association  began  to 
grow  in  popularity.  Its  money  was  readily  loaned,  and,  Avhile  it  re- 
ceived only  $62  on  $10,750  borrowed  in  1887,  and  $232  on  $60,000 
borrowed  in  1868,  it  is  maturing  a series  of  shares  eA’ery  year  to  the 
satisfaction  of  its  shareholders,  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  aaIioiu  are 
wage-earners.”  The  age  of  each  series  is  about  eleven  years.  This 
Elmira  example  is  worthy  of  study  by  anyone  Avho  thinks  that  large 
premiums  are  necessary  to  an  association’s  prosperity. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


181 


Of  tlie  unsuccessful  early  New  York  associations,  all,  I believe, 
were  organized  on  the  “ terminating  and  gross  premium  ” plan. 

The  Legislature  of  Connecticut  caused  an  investigation  of  the  as- 
sociations in  that  State  to  be  made  some  thirty  years  ago,  and  in 
1860  they  were  forbidden  to  receive  deposits  after  January  1,  1862. 
In  1865  they  were  required  to  return  their  deposits  to  the  share- 
holders by  July  1,  1886.  The  system  is,  however,  becoming  popular 
again  in  that  State. 

The  safety  or  the  risk  of  this  system  of  investment  is  increased  di- 
rectly in  proportion  as  its  original  purpose  is  adhered  to  or  departed 
from.  As  a means  of  speculation  it  should  take  no  part.  Well- 
managed  associations  limit  the  amount  of  stock  which  one  member 
may  hold,  and,  consequently,  the  amount  of  money  which  he  can  bor- 
row. In  some  States  this  limit  is  fixed  by  law,  as  in  Massachusetts, 
where  the  maximum  is  twenty-five  shares  ; the  New  York  act  of  1875 
limits  the  number  of  shares  which  a person  may  hold  in  one  series  to 
ten  unpledged  and  twenty  pledged. 

Some  localities  are  much  better  adapted  to  this  form  of  co-opera- 
tion than  others.  It  would  have  a poor  field  in  a Newport  or  a 
Lenox,  where  there  is  no  considerable  body  of  wage-earners.  The 
more  expensive  land  is  in  any  place,  the  larger  are  the  loans  required 
by  each  member  and  the  greater  is  the  risk  to  the  lender.  The  lim- 
ited area  of  New  York  City  makes  it  a less  available  field  than  Phila- 
delphia, Chicago,  and  St.  Paul,  and  largely,  for  this  reason,  it  has 
been  called  a city  of  tenements,  while  the  others  boast  that  they  are 
cities  of  homes.  Where  the  membership  is  made  up  principally  of 
persons  who  are  not  strictly  wage-earners,  the  officers  are  likely  to  be 
men  on  whose  time  there  are  many  demands,  and  who  are  not,  there- 
fore, regular  in  their  attendance  on  the  meetings.  Complaints  on  this 
ground  are  made  in  regard  to  some  New  York  City  associations,  and 
they  are  serious. 

Attracted  by  the  success  of  the  strictly  co-operative  associations, 
corporations  have  been  formed  which  profess  to  carry  on  the  same  busi- 


1S2 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


ness,  and  under  the  same  name,  but  on  a “ national  ” plan,  that  is,  to 
carry  on  a money-loaning  scheme  under  the  guise  of  a building  and  loan 
association,  but  to  do  so  with  the  aid  of  expensive  permanent  offices, 
salaried  officers,  and  paid  solicitors,  and  to  lend  the  money  of  the  asso- 
ciations in  all  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  the  latter  feature  of  the  busi- 
ness that  lias  given  them  the  name  “ national.”  I look  on  these  con- 
cerns as  dangerous  to  the  really  co-operative  system,  not  because  they 
are  business  rivals,  but  because  they  are  masquerading  under  the  name 
of  the  co-operatives  on  a system  that  is  dangerous,  and,  consequently, 
because,  when  they  come  to  grief,  many  people  will  confound  their  ruin 
with  a radical  weakness  in  the  business  methods  of  the  co-operatives. 
When  these  “ nationals  ” started  out  a few  years  ago  (they  are  still 
creatures  of  tender  years),  they  boasted  loudly  that  they  could  offer 
inducements  which  no  local  association  could  equal,  and  they  pre- 
sented statements  to  indicate  how  low  a rate  of  interest  their  borrow- 
ers would  really  pay  when  the  stock  matured,  high  as  the  rates  of  pay- 
ment were.  The  expense  account  of  the  “ nationals  ” was  enough  to 
prove  the  falsity  of  these  promises.  A local  association  pays  a small 
salary  to  its  secretary  and  its  treasurer,  and  a small  rent  for  the 
occasional  use  of  a room.  This  covers  almost  all  of  its  expense  ac- 
count. A “ national,”  on  the  other  hand,  pays  large  rent  for  per- 
manent offices,  has  a big  salary  list,  aside  from  its  agents’  com- 
missions, and  incurs  other  expenses  which  a local  know's  nothing 
about. 

The  Superintendent  of  the  Banking  Department  of  New  York,  in 
his  report  for  1892,  shows  that  while  the  percentage  of  expense  of  the 
local  associations  in  that  State  for  the  year  was  about  2,  that  of  the 
“ nationals  ” was  11,  and  that  counting  the  membership  fee  as  part  of 
the  expense  account  would  run  this  percentage  up  to  “ something  like 
14.”  In  what  way  can  the  “ national  ” system  be  made  as  economical 
to  borrowers,  in  such  circumstances,  as  the  local,  unless  by  showing 
that  the  “ frozen  out  ” members  leave  enough  of  their  profits  in  the 
treasury  to  offset  the  big  expense  account  ? The  organ  of  the  “ na- 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


183 


tionals  ” lias  in  tlie  last  year  conceded  that  the  local  system  is  the  more 
economical.  “ The  nationals  cannot  loan  money,”  it  said,  “ in  compe- 
tition with  the  locals  where  interest  rates  are  equally  high.  Wherever 
the  locals  are  able  to  supply  the  demand  for  money,  the  nationals  will 
find  their  occupation  gone.”  Some  of  the  “nationals,”  seeing  already 
that  their  promises  of  maturing  shares  cannot  be  kept,  have  introduced 
the  feature  of  a “ guaranty  maturity  fund.”  Of  course  the  officers  who 
contribute  to  such  a fund  see  some  way  to  recoup  themselves  for  the 
outlay. 

England  has  furnished  some  startling  examples  of  the  danger  of 
“broadening”  simple  co-operative  concerns,  and  departing  from  their 
legitimate  fields.  No  country  has  demonstrated  more  satisfactorily 
than  England  the  value  of  the  building  and  loan  system  as  a means  of 
saving  and  a method  of  home  acquiring.  So  perfectly  had  the  system 
worked  there  through  long  years  that  the  public  came  to  place  full 
confidence  in  any  system  that  bore  the  attractive  name.  In  this  way 
vast  associations  have  grown  up  there,  with  assets  running  into  mil- 
lions of  pounds.  With  the  growth  of  deposits  came  an  enlargement  of 
the  business  system,  so  that  the  big  associations  came  to  be  really 
banks  of  deposit  and  discount.  The  Liberator,  whose  recent  failure 
caused  such  wide-spread  suffering,  began  by  receiving  deposits  from 
members  only.  Then  it  advertised  to  pay  from  four  to  five  per  cent,  on 
any  deposits.  With  an  accumulation  of  funds,  and  a necessity  to  keep 
them  employed,  came  reckless  lending.  It  stood  behind  a speculative 
contractor  who  put  up  enormous  blocks  of  buildings  in  London  which 
did  not  rent.  When  the  contractor  came  to  the  end  of  his  rope  he 
found  the  building  association  in  his  company,  and  the  crash  followed. 
What  has  happened  in  England  can  just  as  easily  happen  here,  and  the 
result  will  not  be  prevented  simply  because  in  the  list  of  ofticers  may 
be  found  some  honored  names. 

Building  and  Loan  Associations  have  a value  to  any  community 
aside  from  their  pecuniary  aspect,  which  is  always  recognized  wher- 
ever they  have  been  established. 


184 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


Albert  Shaw,  Pli.D.,  in  vol.  i.,  No.  4,  Publications  of  the  American 
Economic  Association,  says : 

“ The  success  of  the  Building  Societies  in  St.  Paul  is  quite  as  com- 
plete, all  things  considered,  as  in  the  Pennsylvania  cities.  They  have 
become  an  accepted  local  institution,  destined  to  play  a growingly  im- 
portant part  in  the  building  up  of  the  city,  and  in  the  development  of 
thrift  and  providence  among  wage-earners.  . . . But  even  more 

important  than  their  mere  material  achievements  for  the  city,  and  for 
their  members  individually,  has  been  their  social  and  moral  value,  in 
counteracting  the  tendency  of  a city  population  to  wider  divergence 
between  rich  and  poor,  and  to  the  development  of  a proletariat  class. 
The  typical  American  citizen  is  a free-holder,  and  has  a home  which 
is  his  castle.  His  independence  and  his  virtue  depend  not  a little 
upon  his  worldly  condition.  The  Building  Society  is  above  all  things 
to  be  commended  as  a conservator  of  the  home  and  family  institutions 
that  underlie  all  our  national  greatness  and  power.” 

F.  A.  Richards,  Bank  Examiner  in  Maine,  in  a report  for  1892  on 
the  associations  of  that  State,  says  : 

“ The  key  to  the  almost  uniform  success  of  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociations is  to  be  found  in  the  intimate  relations  which  they  hold  to 
shareholders,  and  especially  to  borrowers.  Not  only  do  they  make  it 
possible  for  persons  having  but  small  incomes  to  build  homes  for 
themselves  1 >y  loaning  money  on  unfinished  property,  as  the  money  is 
needed  to  advance  the  work,  repayable  in  small  instalments,  but  they 
exercise  a scrupulous  supervision  over  the  interests  of  the  borrower. 
The  condition  and  situation  of  his  property,  the  plans  of  the  architect, 
the  estimates,  the  character  of  the  contractor,  the  building  material, 
the  work  of  the  builder — all  are  carefully  inspected  by  competent 
judges,  and  subject  to  their  approval.  The  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation thus  forms  a supervisory  board,  whose  assistance  to  the 
borrower  is  invaluable.  . . . The  educational  character  of  these 

institutions  is  far  from  being  one  of  their  least  important  features.” 

AVillis  S.  Paine,  LL.D.,  Superintendent  of  the  Banking  Depart- 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


185 


ment  of  New  York  State,  in  tlie  introduction  to  his  work  on  the  New 
York  laws  relating  to  Building  Associations,  says  : 

“These  associations  serve  as  a barrier  against  the  dangerous  pater- 
nalism urged  on  the  State  by  men  of  questionable  statesmanship,  and 
they  become  likewise  the  foes  of  communism,  creating  habits  of  accu- 
mulation and  assuring  the  privacy  of  homes.  Such  organizations  be- 
come indirectly  valuable  moral  agencies  as  a partial  solution  of  the 
tenement-house  problem,  and  hence  are  worthy  of  careful  attention. 
The  independent  home  secures  removal  from  immoral  tendencies,  the 
adornment  of  domestic  life,  and  full  sway  for  the  influence  of  wise 
training  and  good  example.  Whatever  helps  to  remove  the  youth  of 
the  nation  from  the  terrible  and  ever-present  temptations  of  many 
of  the  crowded  tenement-dens,  from  the  accustomed  debaucheries  of 
drunken  wretches  in  neighboring  rooms,  and  from  the  shamelessness 
of  those  who  oftentimes  exist  in  them,  works  blessings  for  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  the  State.  They  are  not  a cure-all,  however,  but 
may,  if  loosely  managed,  prove  a serious  injury  to  the  frugal  and  in- 
dustrious wage-earners  who  invest  in  them.” 

The  Chief  of  the  New  Jersey  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  Labor  and  In- 
dustries said,  in  his  Report  for  1886  : 

“ From  the  reports  which  have  been  forwarded  to  the  Bureau  these 
New  Jersey  associations  are  generally  in  a very  prosperous  condition, 
and  a great  benefit,  not  only  to  the  individual  members,  but  to  the 
community  at  large  ; for  they  are  increasing  the  number  of  tax-paying, 
property-owning  citizens,  and  making  it  comparatively  easy  for  an  in- 
dustrious working-man  to  own  a home.” 

SOME  PRACTICAL  RESULTS  OF  BUILDING  ASSOCIATIONS 

“ So  manifold  are  the  bearings  of  money  upon  the  lives  and  char- 
acters of  mankind,  that  an  insight  which  should  search  out  the  life 
of  a man  in  his  pecuniary  relations  would  penetrate  into  almost 
every  cranny  of  his  nature,”  says  Henry  Taylor.  “ He  who  knows, 


186 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


like  St.  Paul,  both  liow  to  spare  and  how  to  abound,  has  great  knowl- 
edge. For  if  we  take  account  of  all  the  virtues  with  which  money  is 
mixed  up — honesty,  justice,  generosity,  charity,  frugality,  forethought, 
self-sacrifice — and  of  their  correlative  vices,  it  is  a knowledge  which 
goes  near  to  cover  the  length  and  breadth  of  humanity  ; and  a right 
measure  and  manner  of  getting,  saving,  spending,  giving,  taking,  lend- 
ing, borrowing,  and  bequeathing,  would  almost  argue  a perfect  man.” 

While  the  accumulation  of  wealth  is  mixed  up  with  many  of  the 
grievous  evils  of  this  world,  this  statement  of  the  importance  of  a right 
method  of  saving  will  not  be  denied ; and  of  equal  importance  with  a 
knowledge  of  saving  is  the  knowledge  how  best  to  use  what  one  has 
saved.  The  great  initial  problem  with  the  multitude  is  how  to  save  at 
all.  Next  comes  the  needed  lesson,  how  not  to  squander  what  has 
been  accumulated. 

Experience  has  shown  that  some  system  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
induce  a large  proportion  of  the  persons  of  moderate  means  to  lay 
aside  a part  of  their  incomes.  The  smaller  the  income,  the  greater,  of 
course,  is  the  temptation  to  spend  it  all  in  order  to  supply  wished-for 
comforts  of  life.  When  money  saving  means  a denial  of  some  creat- 
ure comfort,  some  equivalent  for  the  denial  must  be  presented  clearly 
to  view.  The  naturally  frugal  spy  out  this  equivalent  for  themselves. 
But  there  are  so  many  who  are  not  by  nature  frugal ; and  it  is  for 
them  that  a system  must  be  devised. 

The  most  efficient  system  of  this  kind  should  combine  three 
things : 1,  An  easily  perceived  inducement  to  save ; 2,  regularity  in 
laying  aside  the  savings  ; 3,  as  much  compulsion  as  may  be  in  enforc- 
ing the  economy. 

The  most  widely  known  system  of  this  kind  is  that  which  is  sup- 
plied by  the  savings  banks.  The  value  of  these  banks  in  our  social 
economy  is  universally  conceded.  But,  tested  by  the  above  require- 
ments, it  must  be  acknowledged  that  they  are  in  part  lacking.  The 
satisfaction  felt  by  the  depositor  in  his  growing  deposit,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  value  it  will  be  to  him  in  the  future,  supply  the 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


187 


inducement.  But  as  lie  may  make  liis  deposits  at  liis  own  pleasure, 
and  suffer  no  penalty  if  lie  stops  them  altogether,  the  second  and  third 
requisites  named  are  wanting.  Here  another  system — not  so  gen- 
erally understood,  but  long  tried  and  rapidly  extending  its  operations 
— claims  attention.  This  is  the  form  of  co-operation  which  I have 


A Building  and  Loan  Association  receiving  Monthly  Dues. 

(From  an  instantaneous  photograph.) 

just  described  as  the  Building  and  Loan  Association.  In  view  of  the 
growing  interest  in  the  subject,  and  the  eager  demand  that  is  mani- 
fested for  the  opinions  of  members  who  have  tested  these  associations, 
as  well  as  the  experiments  of  different  associations  with  particular 
plans  of  business,  I propose  to  bring  together  some  experiences,  gath- 
ered by  personal  inquiry,  and  by  correspondence  with  officers  of  asso- 
ciations all  over  the  country.  A sufficient  demonstration  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  subject  will  be  found  in  the  following  statistics,  compiled 


188 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


from  the  reports  of  4,000  of  these  associations  in  the  United  States, 
and  printed  in  a recent  report  of  the  Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs  of 
Pennsylvania : 

Shares 5,450,000  Assets $336,485,080 

Members ....  872,000  Receipts,  one  year 139,323,934 

Borrowers  272,000  Expenses 1,375,960 

Borrowed  shares 1,496,000  Gains 70,512,200 

Important  elements  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association  system 
are  regular  dates  for  making  the  payments  and  the  infliction  of  a fine 
on  delinquents.  If  a non-borrower  is  delinquent  he  knows  that  the 
fine  will  reduce  his  profits,  and  the  borrower  has  the  same  inducement 
to  be  punctual,  with  the  added  knowledge  that  continued  defaults  will 
be  followed  by  a foreclosure  of  his  mortgage,  and  the  consequent  loss 
of  his  home.  These  are  advantages  which  the  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation system  has  over  the  savings  bank.  In  addition  it  may  be 
stated  that  the  associations  are  conducted  much  more  economically 
than  the  banks,  that  they  consequently  pay  larger  dividends,  that  they 
can  be  successfully  carried  on  in  places  too  small  to  support  a bank, 
and  that,  by  advancing  money  to  members  to  purchase  homes,  they 
provide  an  immediate  investment,  and  give  the  borrower  the  strongest 
possible  inducement  to  continue  his  saving. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  has  an  excellent  law  governing  these 
associations,  and  they  have  thrived  there  for  many  years  without,  I 
believe,  a single  failure.  The  Massachusetts  law  calls  them  Co-opera- 
tive Banks,  and  it  is  very  specific  as  to  their  business  methods,  leaving 
much  less  latitude  to  the  by-laws  than  the  statutes  of  other  States  do. 
The  growth  of  the  associations  there  has  been  especially  rapid  during 
the  last  year,  twenty-seven  new  ones  having  been  formed  in  that  time. 
The  number  of  members  on  October  31, 1889,  was  36,747,  and  the  assets 
amounted  to  $7,041,001.  I have  secured  some  very  interesting  state- 
ments of  the  experiences  of  Massachusetts  members  who  have  actually 
secured  the  ownership  of  homes  through  this  system  of  co-operation. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


189 


J.  T.,  a carpenter,  owns  the  house  in  Wollaston,  a suburb  of 
Quincy,  Mass.,  which  is  represented  in  the  illustration  below.  Here 
is  his  story  : “ I have  been  connected  with  the  Pioneer  Co-operative 

Bank  from  its  beginning.  I took  some  of  the  very  first  shares,  built  a 


House  of  a Carpenter  at  Wollaston,  Mass.,  cost  $1,800. 


house,  and  finished  paying  for  it  last  August.  It  has  been  a good 
thing  for  me.  I could  not  have  done  as  well  in  any  other  way.  If  I 
had  borrowed  the  money  of  a savings  bank  I would  have  paid  the  in- 
terest, but  not  the  principal.  I had  about  $1,000  of  my  own  to  start 
with,  and  the  loan  of  $700  I got  enabled  me  to  put  up  the  house.  It 
was  eleven  years  ago  last  July  that  I borrowed  the  money.  My 


190 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


monthly  payment,  including  principal  and  interest,  was  $7.70.  The 
house  cost  $1,800.  Things  were  cheaper  then  than  they  are  now.  It 
would  cost  $2,100  to  build  the  same  house  to-day.  I have  had  a 
family  of  six  children,  so  that  there  have  been  eight  of  us  to  support. 
We  had  no  money  coming  in  from  any  source  except  what  I earned  ; 
the  children  were  too  small  to  earn  anything.  We  had  to  live  pretty 
close,  but  we  did  it,  and  now  we  have  the  house  all  paid  for,  so  there 
is  no  longer  any  rent.  I like  the  co-operative  system  well . I would 
always  have  been  in  debt  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  co-operative  bank. 
The  money  cost  me  six  per  cent.  I have  had  work  right  along  in  the 
same  place  for  thirty-three  years.  I am  now  fifty-three  years  of  age. 
A young  man  cannot  do  better  than  to  try  this  system  if  he  wants  to 
get  a home  of  his  own.  I am  going  to  build  again  on  the  same  plan. 
I shall  borrow  the  money  of  the  bank  and  build  another  house.  The 
rent  will  pay  the  interest  and  all  of  the  dues,  and  at  the  end  of  eleven 
years  I shall  own  the  house  clear.  The  rent  will  cover  the  taxes  and 
insurance,  too.  The  house  I now  own  has  seven  rooms,  with  city 
water.” 

Here  is  the  story  of  another  Massachusetts  borrower,  John  J.  F., 
a coachman,  living  at  No.  39  Sawyer  Street,  Boston  (Roxbury)  : 

“It  was  eleven  years  ago,  the  twenty-second  of  January,  1890,  that 
I bought  nine  shares  of  the  co-operative  bank.  There  was  much 
building  going  on  then,  and  I had  to  pay  nine  per  cent,  for  my  loan. 
But  all  stockholders  have  a privilege  of  buying  the  money  over  again, 
and  I bought  again  and  got  it  for  seven  and  a half,  after  three  years. 
It  cost  me  about  $20  to  get  my  papers  renewed.  My  monthly  pay- 
ments were  $23.80  at  first,  but  afterward  they  were  $18.80.  I bought 
the  house  and  904  feet  of  land  for  $1,900,  paying  $200  down.  Inside 
of  eleven  years  I held  the  place  with  a clear  title.  The  house  has 
eleven  rooms,  city  water,  and  sewer  connection.  I have  had  but  one 
child  to  support.  I have  had  only  $35  a month  since  I bought  the 
house,  and  for  the  last  six  years  I have  had  nothing  to  do  for  three 
months  every  summer.  I did  not  have  a cent  coming  to  me  outside 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


191 


my  wages,  and  nobody  gave  me  a cent  to  make  my  payments.  Bnt  I 
liad  to  work  hard  and  save  my  money.  I did  not  dress  in  expensive 
clothing  and  go  like  a dude  on  the  streets  with  a cane.  If  a man  does 
that  he  will  never  get  anything  done.  I got  the  idea  of  saving  and 
building  from  some  other  coachmen  I met  at  Newport,  from  Philadel- 
phia, who  owned  their  own  homes  in  this  way. 

“ Now,  I am  rather  fond  of  giving  advice,  and  I would  say  to  any 
laboring  man  who  is  industrious  and  wants  a home  for  himself  and  his 
family — especially  if  he  is  a mechanic,  or  one  who  works  by  the  day 
or  month,  or  piece-work — get  into  some  corporation  like  this.  When 
they  are  paying  their  monthly  dues  they  are  really  paying  for  their 
own  houses.” 

It  should  be  explained  that  this  investor  received  his  board  from 
his  employer,  which  permitted  him  to  make  his  payments  on  the 
wages  he  received.  His  house  is  a small  two-story  brick  one,  with  a 
mansard  roof,  standing  at  the  end  of  a block.  It  is  well  built,  neatly 
kept,  and  tastefully  furnished. 

Co-operation  of  this  kind  has  been  tested  longer  and  more  thor- 
oughly in  Pennsylvania  than  in  any  other  of  our  States.  As  a conse- 
quence, many  variations  in  the  methods  of  transacting  the  associa- 
tions’ business  have  been  introduced  in  different  cities  and  towns, 
none  of  them,  of  course,  in  conflict  with  the  co-operative  principle. 
In  Reading,  where  there  are  forty  associations,  the  “ terminating,”  or 
single  series  plan,  is  very  popular.  This  plan  is  not  so  generally 
adopted  throughout  the  country  as  the  “ serial,”  because  in  the  latter 
the  addition  of  new  members  from  time  to  time  at  the  starting  price 
of  the  original  stock  keeps  up  the  supply  of  borrowers.  A “ terminat- 
ing ” association,  in  time,  requires  a large  payment  to  become  a mem- 
ber (all  the  stock  being  kept  at  the  same  price),  and  it  becomes  diffi- 
cult to  find  use  for  the  funds.  But  many  of  the  Reading  co-operators, 
a large  number  of  whom  are  wage-earners,  and  many  of  foreign  birth, 
have  always  manifested  a disposition  to  see  one  series  of  stock  attain 
its  par  value  before  another  is  begun.  All  the  terminating  associa- 


192 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


tions  there  are  operated  on  practically  the  same  principle,  which  may 
be  thus  described  : The  par  value  of  shares  is  usually  $200,  $300,  or 
$500,  the  most  popular  amount  being  $300  or  $500.  The  monthly 
dues  on  the  $200  shares  are  $1  per  share,  while  on  the  others  they 
are  $2.  An  unusual  feature  is  that  there  is  a fixed  premium  de- 
manded of  both  borrowers  and  non-borrowers ; on  a $300  share  this 
is  $30,  and  on  a $500  share  $50.  In  the  first  three  years  of  an  asso- 
ciation’s life,  the  competition  of  bidders  for  the  money  in  the  treasury 


Row  of  Houses  in  Reading,  Pa.,  built  by  Building  and  Loan  Associations. 


is  generally  so  brisk  that  the  premiums  are  run  up  to  $5  a share  above 
the  fixed  amount.  After  that,  a borrower  can  generally  get  accommo- 
dation at  the  fixed  rate,  upon  good  security.  The  regular  interest 
rate  is  six  per  cent.  When  the  bidding  for  loans  by  members  be- 
comes slack,  or  falls  off,  as  it  does  when  an  association  has  run  five 
years  or  more,  then  the  directors  look  out  for  other  means  of  invest- 
ment. Sometimes  the  money  is  loaned  to  other  associations  whose 
funds  in  hand  do  not  satisfy  their  borrowers.  A larger  use,  however, 
is  found  in  buying  lots  of  ground,  and  erecting  buildings  thereon, 
which  are  sold  at  prices  varying  from  $2,000  to  $7,000  each.  The 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


193 


picture  opposite  shows  a row  of  these  houses.  I am  informed  that  a 
ready  market  is  almost  always  found  for  them ; if  a season  of  hard 
times  comes  on,  the  associations  are  “ easy  ” with  the  purchasers.  I 
have  said  that  non-borrowers  also  pay  the  fixed  premium  in  these  as- 
sociations. To  illustrate  : Z invests  in  four  $500  shares,  paying  in  $8  a 
month  as  dues  for  eleven  or  twelve  years,  as  the  case  may  be.  When 
the  final  distribution  of  assets  is  made  he  receives  four  times  $500 
($2,000),  less  the  fixed  premium  of  $200. 

The  growth  of  Reading  has  been  so  assisted  by  the  building  and 
loan  associations,  that  a few  months  ago,  the  Board  of  Trade  there 
tried  to  induce  them  to  lend  out  their  funds  to  stimulate  new  business 
enterprises,  particularly  manufactures.  Only  one  favorable  response 
was  received,  however,  to  the  proposition,  wise  conservatism  having 
prevailed.  A new  association  has  since  been  started  there,  with  a 
large  amount  of  capital  subscribed,  whose  constitution  contains  a 
special  provision  for  loaning  binds  to  manufactories.  Innovations  of 
this  kind  endanger  the  good  reputation  of  the  building  and  loan  asso- 
ciation system.  They  are  mixed  up  with  speculation,  and  are  certain 
in  time  to  incur  disaster.  When  this  system  of  co-operation  has  had 
its  excellence  and  safety  proved,  its  friends  should  insist  that  it  be 
not  endangered  by  speculative  experiments.  If  co-operative  manufac- 
turing offers  a field  anywhere,  let  it  be  conducted  under  its  own  name. 

Of  the  general  results  of  co-operative  home-winning  in  Reading,  a 
resident  of  that  city  writes  me  : “ Though  building  associations  have 
been  in  continuous  operation  here  over  thirty  years,  the  management 
of  their  business  has  been  in  such  able  and  safe  hands  that  only  one 
has  had  a defaulting  treasurer  in  all  that  period.  The  community, 
almost  without  exception,  holds  them  in  high  esteem.  When  the 
Schiller  Association  terminated,  it  paid  its  stockholders  twelve  per 
cent.  The  Franklin  expired  in  ten  years,  and  its  stockholders  realized 
twelve  per  cent.” 

Another  Pennsylvania  city  where  this  form  of  co-operation  has 

stood  the  test  of  long  trial  is  Pittsburg,  its  extensive  industries  fur- 
13 


194 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


nisliing  a large  population  who  can  hope  to  become  bouse  owners 
in  no  other  way.  The  picture  below  represents  the  house  which  a 
Pittsburg  clerk  owns  by  the  aid  of  one  of  these  associations.  His 


story  shows  how  economically  a business  of  this  kind  can  be  con- 
ducted, and  how  capable  wage-earners  are  to  manage  it. 

“ When  I had  purchased  my  lot,  I took  twenty-two  shares  of  build- 
ing association  stock.  The  par  value  in  my  association  was  $109.  I 
was  permitted  to  borrow  $2,200  on  my  stock  and  lot.  At  our  second 
meeting,  as  many  slips  of  paper  as  there  were  stockholders,  and  num- 
bered from  one  up,  were  put  into  a hat,  and  each  man  took  out  one. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


195 


Tlie  drawer  of  No.  1 was  entitled  to  borrow  tlie  first  money  paid  in.  I 
got  a big  number,  which  would  have  prevented  me  from  borrowing  for 
about  six  years.  Fortunately  the  man  who  drew  No  2 was  not  in  a 
hurry,  and  I exchanged  with  him.  Every  week  I paid  30  cents  a share 
principal,  and  12  cents  a share  interest,  a total  of  $9.24,  a heavy  drain 
on  my  pocketbook  ; but  I kept  it  up  until  our  stock  reached  par  and 
the  association  expired,  Avhicli  happened  after  five  years  and  six 
months.  At  the  final  settlement  we  found  that  $82  had  been  paid  in 
dues  on  each  share,  the  par  of  which  was  $100.  So  I made  $18  on 
each  share.  I had  paid  in  interest  $732.16.  To  sum  up  my  experi- 
ence, I had  been  allowed  to  pay  back  the  loan  in  such  small  weekly 
instalments  as  would  not  be  accepted  by  a big  corporation,  and  virtu- 
allp  I only  paid  $1.15  a week  interest,  or  less  than  three  per  cent.  I 
place  the  actual  interest  paid  as  the  amount  left  after  subtracting  $396, 
the  gain  on  the  shares,  from  $732.16,  the  amount  I was  credited  on  my 
book  as  interest  paid.  I never  could  have  secured  a home  in  any 
other  way,  and  I had  the  pleasure  of  living  in  my  own  house  from  the 
start. 

“ Our  association  was  operated  on  economical  principles.  We  met 
in  a cigar  store,  paid  no  rent,  and  the  only  salaried  officer  was  the 
secretary.  The  initiation  fee  of  25  cents  a member,  with  the  fines, 
paid  the  biggest  part  of  our  expenses.  Before  the  association  expired 
the  stockholders  had  all  become  borrowers.  A Pittsburg  blacksmith, 
who  is  still  working  at  his  trade,  and  who  has  never  earned  over  $3  a 
day,  owns  $75,000  of  real  estate,  while  a city  official  in  Municipal  Hall 
owns  $30,000  worth,  all  secured  by  the  aid  of  building  and  loan  asso- 
ciations. As  a general  rule,  these  men  bought  improved  property  and 
made  the  rent  pay  both  dues  and  interest.” 

New  York  is  far  behind  not  only  Philadelphia,  that  great  city  of 
co-operative  homes,  but  cities  insignificant  in  size  by  comparison,  as 
regards  these  associations.  A principal  reason  for  this  is  her  insular 
situation,  and  the  consequent  lack  of  any  suburban  district  of  her  own 
where  land  is  within  the  reach  of  men  of  moderate  means.  The  sys- 


196 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


tern,  too,  received  a set  back  in  New  York  State  through  mismanage- 
ment some  years  ago,  from  which  it  has  been  slow  to  recover.  The 
reaction  has  begun,  however,  and  a number  of  associations  are  doing 
good  work  in  the  city,  although  the  majority  of  their  loans  are  made 
on  property  outside  the  city  limits.  Some  of  these  associations  are  in 
the  hands  of  newspaper  workers  ; one,  with  over  a thousand  members, 
is  conducted  by  teachers  in  the  public  schools,  with  ladies  in  the  board 
of  directors,  and  one  took  the  well-known  name,  “Western  Union.” 
The  latter  claims  the  honor  of  starting  the  renewal  of  interest  in  this 
subject  in  New  York  City  after  the  long  period  of  inactivity.  The  as- 
sociation was  incorporated  in  January,  1885,  after  two  years  of  pre- 
liminary effort  on  the  part  of  a few  New  York  telegraphers.  The 
management  is  very  conservative,  all  temptation  to  speculation  by  the 
association  being  prevented  by  a clause  in  the  constitution  which  for- 
bids it  to  buy  property.  During  a period  of  five  years  it  received  and 
invested  $153,000,  loaned  to  ninety  members,  who  are  now  in  posses- 
sion of  their  own  homes,  for  which  they  are  paying  in  easy  instal- 
ments. It  is  conducted  on  the  serial  plan.  It  makes  loans  on  accepted 
real  estate  anywhere  within  one  hundred  miles  of  the  city,  and  it  does 
not  restrict  its  membership  to  telegraphers.  I select  this  association 
for  notice  only  in  order  to  show  that  building  and  loan  associations 
are  a possibility  even  in  a metropolis  like  New  York. 

As  none  of  the  series  is  old  enough  to  have  matured,  none  of  the 
borrowers  can  be  said  strictly  to  “ own  ” his  home.  But  a good  ex- 
ample is  afforded  of  the  satisfactory  working  of  the  system  by  the 
statement  of  Mr.  F.  A.  C.,  the  manager  of  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Office  in  the  Windsor  Hotel.  His  house  is  in  Mount  Vernon, 
three  miles  outside  the  city  limits.  A view  of  it  is  given  in  the  illus- 
tration opposite.  “ I had  in  1885,”  said  Mr.  C.,  “ a lot  valued  at  $700. 
In  March,  1885,  I borrowed  of  the  association  $2,000,  and  in  March, 
1886,  I borrowed  $200  more,  which  completed  my  house.  Since  the 
last  date  my  monthly  payments  have  been  : dues,  $11 ; interest,  $11  ; 
premium,  $4.35  ; a total  of  $26.35.  Since  the  house  was  built  I have 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


197 


added  the  corner  lot  to  my  plot,  and  I now  value  the  house  and  lot  at 
$3,370.  My  house  would  easily  rent  for  $30  a month,  which  is  more 
than  all  my  monthly  payments.” 


House  of  a Western  Union  Telegraph  Superintendent  at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  cost  $2,200,  exclusive 

of  ground. 


If  this  borrower’s  association  closes  out  his  series  in  nine  years,  his 
interest  account  will  stand  as  follows  : 


Total  payments  per  year  ($26.35  a month) $316  20 

In  nine  years 2,845  80 

Interest  charge  (deducting  $2,200  principal) 645  80 

Interest  charge  per  year 71  76 


which  is  at  the  rate  of  but  a little  over  three  per  cent,  a year. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has  a large  extent  of  adjoining  unimproved  prop- 
erty, not  held  at  exorbitant  prices,  and  it  is  therefore  a good  field  for 


19S 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


co-operative  building.  The  latest  list  of  associations  there  numbers 
twenty-nine. 

The  illustration  below  represents  one  of  the  houses  acquired 
by  the  members  of  a ' Brooklyn  association.  It  is  in  Sixty-seventh 


House  in  Sixty-seventh  Street,  Bay  Ridge,  L.  I.,  cost  $2,500. 

Street,  Bay  Ridge,  within  five  blocks  of  the  Brooklyn  boundary.  It 
measures  20  x 30  feet,  with  an  extension,  two  stories,  and  attic ; has 
a parlor,  dining-room,  and  kitchen  on  the  first  floor,  three  bedrooms 
and  bath-room  on  the  second,  and  three  finished  rooms  in  the  attic. 
It  is  built  in  the  best  manner,  with  furnace,  range,  hot  and  cold  water, 
and  gas,  and  it  cost  $2,500.  The  owner  borrowed  $2,400,  and  his 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


199 


monthly  payments,  including  interest,  premium,  and  dues  are  $30. 
His  balance  sheet  stands  thus  : 


Former  annual  payment  for  rent $420  00 

Payments  to  association $360  00 

Taxes  (less  than) 20  00 

Insurance 7 50 

Extra  car  fare  now  required 20  00 

Total $407  50 

Allow  four  per  cent,  interest  on  owner’s  equity  in 

premises  ($600) 24  00 

Grand  total $431  50 


or  $11.50  a year  more  than  he  expended  as  a rent-payer.  The  present 
estimate  is  that  the  interest  rate  of  this  association’s  borrowers,  when 
their  stock  matures,  will  be  about  five  and  a half  per  cent. 

Here  is  a further  illustration  : “A  teacher  in  one  of  the  public 
schools  in  Brooklyn  borrowed  $4,000  of  the  association,  and  built  a 
three-story  apartment-house,  with  all  modern  improvements.  She 
was  paying  $25  a month  rent  for  a flat  when  she  built.  She  now 
occupies  a flat  in  her  own  building,  and  rents  the  remaining  two  for 
$25  and  $24,  respectively.  Her  account  stands  thus  : 


Mortgage $4, 000  00 

Equity 3,000  00 

Payments  to  association  per  annum $600  00 

Taxes 100  00 

Insurance 6 00 

Interest  (four  per  cent. ) on  equity 120  00 


Total $826  00 

Deduct  rentals  received 588  00 

Leaves  her  net  rent 238  00 


or  at  the  monthly  rate  of  $19.84,  while  all  the  time  she  is  paying  off 
her  debt.” 


200 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTR1 


Tlie  illustration  below  shows 
lives  in  rented  apartments  may  gi 
through  the  co-operative  system. 


at  a glance  what  a poor  man  who 
tin  by  building  a house  of  his  own 
Mr.  H.  is  a man  of  family,  in  the 
employ  of  a New  York  business 
firm.  He  rented  four  rooms  in 
a building  on  a business  street  in 
Hackensack,  N.  J.,  paying  $9  a 
month  rent.  The  lower  floor  was 
used  for  business  purposes.  His 
apartments  were  crowded  and  in- 
convenient, and  by  no  means  safe 


1 Then  and  Now."  Four  rooms  rented 
in  the  upper  floor  of  this  building  at 
$9  per  month. 


in  case  of  fire.  In  the 
spring  of  1888,  he  bought 
three  lots  near  the  town, 
where  some  farm  land 
had  been  recently  cut  up 
into  building  lots,  paying 
$75  each.  Then  he  bor- 
rowed $1,100  of  the 
Hackensack  Building 
and  Loan  Association,  on 

the  three  lots,  and  put  up  his  house,  at  a cost  of  $1,050,  the  association 
lending  him  very  close  because  of  the  smallness  of  the  loan,  the  cer- 
tain rise  in  the  value  of  his  property,  and  his  excellent  character.  His 
premium  (gross)  was  $38.50.  Now  he  pays  to  the  association,  as  dues 
and  interest,  only  $11.50  a month — which  is  only  $2.50  a month  more 


House  built  and  occupied  by  the  same  man  in  Hackensack,  N.  J., 
cost  $1,050,  monthly  payment  $11.50. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


201 


than  he  paid  as  rent — and  in  about  eleven  years  from  the  start  he  will 
have  the  premises  free  and  clear.  Meanwhile,  he  has  a house  all  to 
himself.  And  a very  neat  and  attractive  house  it  is,  although  it  cost 
so  little,  with  a parlor,  a dining-room,  and  a kitchen  on  the  first  floor, 
and  three  bedrooms  above.  His  wife  said  to  me  when  they  were  set- 
tled : “ It  came  very  hard  to  pay  out  that  $9  a month  for  rent,  but  now 
we  know  the  money  we  pay  to  the  association  is  paying  for  our  home.” 

An  association  which  has  had  a remarkable  history  is  the  Mutual 
No.  1,  of  Bayonne,  N.  J.  (a  suburb  of  Jersey  City).  It  was  organized 
on  the  terminating  plan,  in  June,  1879,  and  its  final  statement  was 
dated  August  12,  1889.  The  original  estimate  was  that  its  stock 
would  mature  in  ten  years.  It  actually  matured  in  one  hundred  and 
twenty-three  months.  The  secretary’s  final  report  says  : “ Loans 
since  1885  had  to  be  made  outside  the  association,  mostly  on  call,  real- 
izing whatever  interest  could  be  obtained,  and  only  while  the  money 
was  employed.  The  serial  plan  has  a decided  advantage  in  this  re- 
spect ; the  introduction  of  new  series  provides  employment  for  money, 
and  prevents  accumulation.  . . . Membership,  whether  investors 

or  borrowers,  was  not  confined  to  any  class  of  society  ; professional 
persons,  merchants,  wage-earners  of  all  degrees,  and  others  of  inde- 
pendent means,  men  and  women,  shared  in  the  prosperity.  The  of- 
ficers of  the  association,  except  the  secretary  and  treasurer  (one  per- 
son), served  without  compensation  or  emolument  of  any  kind.  No 
one  ever  lost  a cent  by  any  act  of  the  association.  The  association 
never  lost  a cent  of  dues,  interest,  or  fines  ; never  foreclosed  a mort- 
gage, never  had  a fire  insurance  case  to  settle,  and  never  owned  an 
inch  of  real  estate.” 

The  picture  on  p.  202  represents  one  of  the  homes  bought  through 
this  association.  I give  it  to  show  that  it  is  not  only  wage-earners 
who  may  be  benefited  by  this  form  of  co-operation.  This  house  is 
owned  and  occupied  by  a Avholesale  dry-goods  merchant,  doing  busi- 
ness in  this  city,  or,  to  be  exact,  by  his  wife,  as  he  deeded  it  to  her. 
“ I went  to  Bayonne  to  live,”  said  this  gentleman,  “ about  the  time  the 


202 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


House  of  a Wholesale  Dry-Goods  Merchant  at  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

association  was  started.  A friend  mentioned  tlie  enterprise  to  me, 
and  I took  five  shares  to  see  what  it  amounted  to.  Soon  I bought 
some  lots  and  decided  to  build.  As  I did  not  care  to  take  the  money 
for  the  house  out  of  my  business,  I borrowed  it  from  the  association 
after  taking  more  shares.  My  dues  and  interest  were  $40  a month, 
and  my  payments  ceased  in  ten  years  and  two  months.  My  expe- 
rience was  altogether  satisfactory,  and  I would  recommend  the  same 
course  to  any  man  in  my  position,  who  does  not  feel  like  taking  out  of 
his  business  the  money  to  buy  or  build  a home.” 

Some  associations  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  have  found  it  advisable  to 
erect  buildings  to  serve  as  their  headquarters.  The  picture  opposite 
represents  one  of  these,  the  building  of  the  Columbia  Association. 
The  reasons  which  induced  the  erection  of  this  building  were  as  fol- 
lows : The  association  was  organized  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and 
in  the  heart  of  a district  which,  after  being  occupied  for  farm  pur- 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


203 

poses,  had  recently  been  cut  up  into  lots.  A change  of  ownership  in 
the  building  where  the  association  met  having  compelled  it  to  seek 
new  quarters,  the  proposal  was  made  to  erect  a building  of  its  own, 
which  took  definite  shape.  The  necessary  money  was  taken  from  the 
general  funds.  The  building  complete,  with  lot,  cost  $4,730.65.  It 
was  occupied  in  August,  1888.  In  the  first  fourteen  months  it  brought 
in  a net  revenue  of  $346.14,  which  was  a little  over  six  per  cent,  on  the 
investment.  The  ground  floor  is  used  as  a hall,  with  a real  estate  of- 
fice in  front.  The  upper  floor  contains  six  large  rooms,  with  bath  and 
all  other  modern  improvements.  Arrangements  have  been  made  to 
rent  the  hall,  which  will  increase  the  income. 

As  the  association  is  a serial  one,  and  the  building  will  be  a per- 


Hall  built  by  the  Columbia  Association,  Jersey  City,  cost,  with  lot,  $4,730. 


204 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


manent  asset,  as  each  series  matures  the  value  of  the  building  will  be 
estimated,  and  a settlement  be  made  with  the  retiring  shareholders 
on  that  basis,  as  would  be  done  in  a business  firm  on  the  retirement  of 
a partner.  It  is  probable  that  the  association  will  eventually  realize  a 
handsome  profit  on  the  investment. 

An  association  with  a very  interesting  history,  to  which  I would  be 
glad  to  devote  more  space  than  I can  command,  is  the  Mutual  of  New- 
ark, N.  J.  This  association  was  organized  in  June,  18G7,  and  is  still 
in  prosperous  operation.  I can  call  attention  only  to  two  points  in 
regard  to  it.  The  period  of  its  existence  covers  the  panic  and  the 
hard  times  of  the  ’70s.  Although,  up  to  1877,  it  had  loaned  in  Essex 
County  (a  manufacturing  district)  $156,800,  it  had  been  obliged  to 
foreclose  on  only  three  pieces  of  property.  During  the  latter  part  of 
1877  and  in  1878,  twelve  pieces  of  property  came  into  possession  of 
the  association,  on  some  of  which  losses  were  made.  There  lias  been 
no  foreclosure  in  the  last  eleven  years.  It  received  from  1867  to  1889, 
cash,  from  all  sources,  $659,603.61  ; has  lent  on  bond  and  mortgage 
$413,925  ; has  collected  $5,501.43  in  fines,  and  $105,376.86  as  inter- 
est ; and  its  total  expenses  for  twenty-two  years  were  only  $11,483.25. 
It  lias  always  been  conducted  on  the  “gross  ” premium  plan.  A sec- 
ond point  worth  noting  is  the  long  terms  of  its  officers.  On  the  pub- 
lication of  its  history  in  pamphlet  form,  in  1886,  the  president  had 
held  his  office  for  ten  years  (after  three  years  as  vice-president,  and 
four  as  director)  ; the  treasurer  for  nineteen  years  ; and  the  secretary, 
Mr.  John  Pardue,  for  sixteen  years,  after  three  years  as  director. 
The  same  treasurer  and  secretary  are  still  in  office. 

Building  and  loan  associations  flourished  in  Central  and  Western 
New  York  during  the  period  when  the  movement  was  at  a standstill 
in  the  Southeastern  part  of  the  State.  The  picture  opposite  shows 
the  house  of  a young  business  man  in  Rochester.  He  figures  as  fol- 
lows on  his  investment : “ My  total  payments  to  the  association  are 
$7.25  each  Aveek.  If  the  association  pays  annual  dividends  of  an  aver- 
age of  ten  per  cent.,  as,  from  its  record,  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


205 


lieve  it  will  do,  my  mortgage  will  be  paid  off  in  a little  less  than  nine 
years,  and.  I shall  have  paid  bnt  3.95  per  cent,  interest  for  the  use  of 
the  money.” 

Building  and  loan  associations  have  been  in  operation  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  for  over  twenty  years,  and  nowhere  have  they  vindicated  their 
object  more  conclusively  than  in  that  city  and  its  twin,  Minneapolis. 
The  illustration  on  p.  206  is  the  picture  of  the  house  (in  its  winter 


House  of  a Young  Business  Man  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Built  on  a weekly  payment  of  $7.25,  for  a period  of 

about  nine  years. 

dress)  of  D.  H.,  a tailor,  at  No.  183  E.  Belvidere  Street,  St.  Paul. 
Here  is  his  own  story  of  the  way  in  which  he  acquired  it : 

“I  was  induced  to  join  a building  association  in  1876,  when  I be- 
gan by  saving  $10  a month.  I was  in  several  series  at  different  times, 
but  it  seemed  that,  as  often  as  I got  a few  hundred  dollars  ahead,  I 
would  have  to  use  it  to  meet  some  pressing  need.  But  I always  be- 
gan over  again,  until  in  March,  1883,  having  about  $350  to  my  credit, 
I thought  I would  ‘ plant  it  ’ where  I couldn’t  get  it  out  so  easily.  So 
I bought  two  lots  for  $700  and  paid  $350  cash  on  them.  In  about  a 
year  and  a half  I had  paid  off’  the  mortgage  and  a street  assessment. 


206 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


to  build  a good  house,  and  have  only  $26  a month  to  pay  on  it.  I got 
$1,860  net,  of  the  association,  with  which  I put  up  an  eight-room 
house,  two  stories  high.  I have  as  fine  a view  as  any  of  the  nabobs  of 
Summit  Avenue,  and  can  see  up  the  river  half-way  to  Minneapolis. 

“ I shall  have  to  pay  for  thirty-one  months  more,  at  $26  a month, 
when  I will  be  out  of  debt,  and  own  a place  worth  $4,000.  I have  re- 
fused an  offer  of  $3,000  for  the  house  and  one  lot.” 


Times  were  rather  flush  in  1885,  and  I bought  thirteen  shares  of  stock 
of  the  St.  Paul  B.  and  L.  Association  No.  1,  for  about  $375.  I had 
been  paying  rent  for  years  (I  am  over  fifty  now),  at  from  $20  to  $25  a 
month.  I now  found  that  I could  borrow  enough  money  of  the  asso- 
ciation on  my  lots  (which  had  increased  in  value  to  $1,500)  and  stock 


House  of  a Tailor  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  cost  $1,860. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


207 


I am  indebted  to  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Mice,  of  St.  Louis,  author  of  a 
useful  work  on  building  association  book-keeping,  for  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  growth  of  this  system  of  co-operation  in  his  city,  coupled 
with  his  own  personal  experience  : 

“I  joined  my  first  building  association,  the  Hibernia,  at  its  organi- 
zation, in  July,  1873  ; I was  totally  in  the  dark  as  to  its  methods,  but  I 
took  some  shares  on  the  advice  of  friends.  Some  three  years  later, 
on  the  resignation  of  the  secretary,  being  a practical  accountant,  I was 
put  in  his  place,  and  was  thus  forced  to  study  the  subject  in  all  its 
bearings.  I now  say,  unhesitatingly,  that  there  is  nothing  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  so  beneficial  to  all  who  join  it — especially  to  wage-earners 
who  need  help  and  encouragement  in  saving  their  money  and  getting  a 
home,  as  a well-managed  building  association. 

“ The  six  associations  of  which  I am  now  secretary  have  loaned 
out  $891,200  to  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  borrowers,  the  majority 
of  whom  used  the  money  for  building  houses.  When  the  Hibernia 
was  about  five  years  old  I,  myself,  borroAved  $2,500  on  my  five  shares 
and  bought  a house  and  lot,  living  there  for  ten  years,  and  noAv  rent- 
ing it  for  $25  a month.  Of  course,  since  the  association  matured  (in 
1882,  having  run  just  nine  years),  I have  had  nothing  to  pay  on  it.  A 
year  and  a half  before  the  Hibernia  matured  it  retired  all  its  free 
shares,  paying  the  stockholders  the  full  amount  of  money  paid  in  by 
them,  and  interest  on  the  same  at  the  rate  of  seventeen  per  cent,  per 
annum  for  the  average  time. 

“ Seeing  the  success  of  this  association,  I easily  persuaded  its 
members,  and  some  other  persons,  to  organize  the  Laclede  Associa- 
tion, now  eight  and  a half  years  old.  Of  this  association  I Avas  secre- 
tary for  the  first  two  years,  and  I still  hold  fifty-five  shares  of  its 
stock.  On  these  I borrowed  $11,000,  and  bought  a five-story  stone 
front  building,  No.  322  Chestnut  Street.  My  monthly  dues  and  inter- 
est on  this  loan  are  $110,  and  I receive  $125  a month  rent.  I spent 
some  $2,000  of  my  oavii  money  on  it. 

“ When  the  Hibernia,  Avliose  capital  was  $250,000,  divided  into 


208  HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


House  of  a Building  and  Loan  Association  Secretary  in  St.  Louis,  cost,  without  lot,  $7,000. 

five  hundred  shares  of  $500  each,  matured  in  1882,  the  members  were 
so  well  pleased  that  the  Hibernia  No.  2 was  organized  the  same  day, 
with  a capital  of  $500,000,  divided  into  $200  shares.  Every  share  of 
this  stock  was  taken  at  the  first  meeting,  and  the  stock  sold  the  next 
day  at  a premium  of  fifty  per  cent.  To  accommodate  those  who  could 
not  get  into  this  association,  I organized  the  Mound  City  six  months 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


209 


later,  with  a capital  of  $600,000  divided  into  $300  shares.  This  asso- 
ciation, during  the  last  seven  years,  has  handled  $511,742.50,  at  a 
total  expense  of  $6,221.82 — or  only  one  and  a quarter  cent  on  every 
dollar.  To-day  we  have  in  St.  Louis  about  one  hundred  and  ten  asso- 
ciations, of  an  average  capital  of  $600,000,  and  a total  membership  of 
about  forty  thousand. 

“ In  May,  1886,  I borrowed  from  the  Mound  City  Association  $11- 
100,  with  which  I purchased  a lot  at  Garfield  and  Spring  Avenues,  and 
put  up  the  house  shown  in  the  picture  opposite,  $7,000  of  the  money 
was  used  to  erect  the  house.  My  monthly  payments  on  this  loan 
are  $129.50,  $2  dues  on  each  of  thirty-seven  shares,  and  $55.50  inter- 
est. This  is  pretty  heavy,  but  my  lot  is  141  x 120,  paid  for  out  of 
this  loan,  and  the  vacant  part  has  advanced  in  value  to  about  $5,000.” 

Cincinnati  supports  about  four  hundred  building  associations,  with 
an  average  capital  of  about  $2,000,000.  In  the  twenty  years  of  their 


14 


House  of  a Cincinnati  Bookkeeper,  cost,  with  lot,  $2,400. 


210 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


history  there,  not  half  a dozen  of  those  properly  organized  have  met 
with  disaster,  and  in  no  case  has  there  been  a total  failure.  At  least 
ten  thousand  houses,  mostly  in  the  suburbs,  have  been  paid  for 
through  the  associations,  their  average  cost  being  about  $3,500.  The 
picture  on  p.  209  shows  one  of  these  suburban  houses,  owned  by  the 
bookkeeper  of  a Cincinnati  firm.  He  took  two  shares,  worth  at  par 
$500  each.  The  weekly  dues  are  $2  ; his  weekly  interest  on  $1,000 
borrowed  is  $1.20,  and  his  weekly  premium  16  cents,  making  an 
annual  payment  of  $171.72,  which  is  about  what  he  paid  for  rent 
before  building.  It  is  calculated  that  his  shares  will  mature  in  less 
than  eight  years.  The  house  and  lot  cost  $2,100. 

The  associations  have  found  a secure  hold  in  the  Far  West — in 
Utah,  California,  and  Oregon.  The  picture  below  shows  the  pretty 
home  of  one  of  the  members  of  the  Citizens’  Building  and  Loan 


House  of  a Bookkeeper  at  Berkeley,  a suburb  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  cost  $2,000. 

Association  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  at  Berkeley,  just  across  the  bay. 
The  owner,  a bookkeeper,  borrowed  $2,000,  and  had  his  mortgage 
cancelled  in  one  hundred  and  eleven  months. 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


211 


While,  for  some  reason,  savings  institutions  have  not  gained  so 
general  a foothold  in  our  Southern  States  as  they  have  in  the  North, 


the  building  association  system  is  doing  an  excellent  work  in  many 
Southern  cities.  I have  space  to  speak  of  their  work  in  only  three  of 
these  cities,  but  this  may  be  looked  upon  as  typical. 

There  are  a number  of  associations  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  the 
Ecpiitable  being,  perhaps,  the  most  prominent.  It  has  about  four 
thousand  members,  at  least  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  whom  are  clerks  in 
the  Government  departments,  clerks  in  stores,  small  merchants,  and 
wage-earners.  Some  five  hundred  are  colored  people,  and  probably 


212 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


thirty-three  per  cent,  are  females.  The  loans  have  ranged  from  $100 
to  $8,000.  There  have  been  eighteen  issues  of  stock,  embracing  42,- 
623  shares,  of  which  28,213  have  been  redeemed.  The  association  has 
made  about  one  thousand  nine  hundred  loans,  has  foreclosed  on  only 
one,  and  has  never  lost  a dollar. 

The  illustration  on  p.  211  represents  the  house  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  association,  a clerk  in  the  Surgeon-General’s  office.  It  is 
situated  on  “ Mt.  Pleasant,”  a northern  suburb  of  the  city.  It  was 
built  two  years  ago  at  a cost  of  $4,000,  with  money  borrowed  of  the 
association. 

The  building  and  loan  (or  “ homestead  associations,”  as  they  are 
locally  called  in  some  instances)  are  a recognized  feature  among  the 
business  institutions  of  New  Orleans,  and  a considerable  part  of  the 
annual  “ trade  editions  ” of  the  Picayune  and  the  Ti 'rues- Democrat  are 
devoted  to  them.  There  are  fifteen  associations  in  the  city,  and  six 
or  eight  in  other  parts  of  Louisiana.  The  Times- Democrat,  in  its 
trade  edition  of  September,  1888,  said  : “ All  of  those  in  the  city  are 
in  excellent  financial  condition,  and  hundreds  of  homes  have  been 
secured  for  members.  The  solidity  of  these  organizations  is  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that,  while  several  of  them  have  gone  out  of  busi- 
ness during  the  year,  or  consolidated  with  other  associations  owing  to 
lack  of  membership,  not  a single  shareholder  has  lost  a nickel. 
While  the  number  of  residences  has  been  materially  increased,  the 
number  of  renters  has  been  proportionately  diminished,  and  land- 
lords have  been  compelled  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  comfort  of 
tlieir  tenants.” 

A representative  Southern  home,  secured  by  co-operation,  is 
shown  in  the  picture  opposite,  the  house  of  Mr.  P.  Iv.,  a pressman 
on  the  Picayune.  It  is  situated  at  No.  81  Bolivar  Street.  Mr.  K. 
has  held  bis  present  position  since  1886.  When  the  People’s  Home- 
stead Association  was  organized  in  New  Orleans,  the  business  man- 
ager of  the  Picayune  advised  the  employees  to  join  it.  Mr.  K.  sub- 
scribed for  eight  shares,  and  a few  years  later  took  twenty  more.  He 


BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


213 


had.  been  a rent-payer  since  1866,  but  his  savings  in  the  association 
now  enabled  him  to  enjoy  the  independence  of  a home  of  his  own. 
He  paid  $3,400  for  his  house  and  lot,  and  has  land  enough  to  set  off 
another  building  lot  if  he  were 
inclined.  By  the  time  he  has 
paid  in  full  for  the  property, 
his  outlay,  including  taxes  and 
insurance,  will  amount  to  $4,- 
227.50.  The  place  is  said  to 
have  cost  originally  over  $12,- 
000. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  has  enjoyed 
the  benefits  of  these  associa- 
tions for  a number  of  years, 
and  the  members  there  have 
given  some  interesting  testi- 
mony to  the  benefits  they  have 
received.  The  secretary  of  the 
People’s  Mutual  Loan  and 
Building  Association  sent  out 
postal-cards  to  all  the  members,  a few  years  ago,  asking  them  to  give 
him  a statement  of  their  experience.  Here  are  a few  of  the  answers : 

“ The  association  has  been  the  means  of  my  saving  $1,600.” 

“ The  association  has  kept  our  boys’  money  safely  invested,  and 
they  are  $925  better  off  than  two  years  ago.”  (These  boys  had 
formerly  spent  all  their  money  for  drink.) 

“I  owe  all  I have  in  the  world  to  the  association.” 

The  secretary  of  this  association,  Mr.  E.  P.  McBurney,  writes  to 
me  : “ A negro  who,  when  he  joined,  had  but  $500,  has  built  a store 
costing  $4,500  in  which  he  does  business,  and  he  is  worth  $6,000. 
The  rent  of  half  the  building  more  than  pays  his  dues.  Another 
negro  member  has  built  the  house  in  which  he  lives  through  the  asso- 
ciation. A mechanic  told  me  the  other  day  that  he  had  for  four  years 


House  of  a Pressman  in  New  Orleans,  cost,  with  Lot,  $4,227. 


214 


HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


been  increasing  his  holding  of  stock,  until  he  now  paid  in  $30  a 
month,  whereas,  four  years  ago,  he  did  not  think  he  could  save  a 
cent.” 

If  this  testimony  to  the  beneficial  operations  of  co-operative  build- 
ing and  loan  associations,  gathered  from  so  wide  a territory,  seems 
one-sided,  I have  only  to  say  that  in  all  the  correspondence  I have  had 
on  the  subject  I have  not  received  one  complaint.  But  the  testimony 
should  be  accepted  as  proving,  not  that  the  system  is  not  open  to 
abuses  and  losses  under  bad  management,  but  that  beyond  dispute  it 
is  one  of  the  greatest  means  for  the  encouragement  of  thrift  that  man 
has  devised.  No  method  has  ever  been  invented,  in  public  or  private 
affairs,  to  render  the  custody  of  funds  entirely  safe.  But  no  invest- 
ment and  management  can  nearer  approach  safety  than  that  of  a 
mutual  building  and  loan  association,  in  which  the  officers  are  well 
chosen  and  in  which  all  do  their  duty. 


THE  END. 


Owing  Books  for  Spring  and  SdrRERer 

<9t 

HOMES  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTRY 

With  ioo  Illustrations,  8vo,  $2.00 

A volume  made  up  from  the  interest- 
ing series  of  articles  recently  issued  in 
Scribner’s  Magazine.  They  are  by  writers 
of  recognized  authority,  and  are  beautifully 
illustrated.  They  relate  to  home  winning 
and  to  the  characteristic  features  of  city, 
suburban,  and  country  houses,  with  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  most  desirable  features 
of  each  class.  Co-operative  house-building 
is  also  fully  explained.  The  illustrations, 
which  constitute  a very  valuable  feature 
of  the  work,  consist  of  one  hundred  engravings  of  plans  for  houses, 
views  of  the  grounds,  and  drawings  of  representative  city  and 
country  houses  in  many  parts  of  the  United  States.  They  represent 
American  architecture  from  colonial  times  down  to  the  present. 


CONTENTS 

THE  COUNTRY  HOUSE  is  written  of  by  Donald  G.  Mitchell,  whose  volume, 
“ My  Farm  of  Edgewood,”  has  been  for  many  years  a classic. 

THE  SUBURBAN  HOUSE  is  discussed  by  Mr.  Bruce  Price,  the  Architect  of  Tuxedo, 
and  of  many  famous  houses  in  city  and  country. 

THE  CITY  HOUSE  is  divided  into  two  sections,  the  East  and  West.  The  late  John 
W.  Root,  architect-in-chief  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  writing  of  the  Western 
houses,  and  Mr.  Russell  Sturgis,  the  architect,  of  the  City  Houses  in  the  East. 

SMALL  COUNTRY  PLACES,  the  grounds,  and  the  landscape  gardening,  are  treated 
by  Mr.  Samuel  Parsons,  Jr.,  the  Superintendent  of  Parks  in  New  York. 

COOPERATIVE 
HOUSE  WINNING 

— the  building  of 
houses  by  people  of 
small  means, through 
Building  and  Loan 
Associations,  with 
many  illustrations 
and  particulars  of 
houses  built  by  this 
method.  Written 
by  Mr.  W.  A.  Linn, 
a close  student  of 
the  subject. 


OUTING  BOOKS  FOR  SPRING  AND  SUMMER 


HOW  TO  KNOW  THE  WILD  FLOWERS 

A Guide  to  the  Names,  Haunts,  and 
Habits  of  our  Common  Wild 
Flowers.  By  Mrs.  William 
Starr  Dana.  With  100  Illus- 
trations by  Marion  Satterlee. 
Square  i2mo,  $1.50  net. 

This  book  is  a delightful  compan- 
ion for  the  country  rambler  and  lover 
of  nature.  Mrs.  Dana  treats  of  over 
400  varieties  of  wild  flowers,  describ- 
ing them  in  a simple,  brief,  clear 
manner  that  makes  the  various  flowers  easily  recognizable.  The 
romantic,  legendary,  literary,  and  other  associations  of  each  are  re- 
ferred to  in  a pleasant  style,  giving  the  book  a value  for  the  library 
as  well  as  for  the  field.  The  illustrations  have  great  delicacy  and 
beauty,  and  are  equal  to  the  text  in  importance. 


OUR  COMMON  BIRDS 

AND  HOW  TO  KNOW  THEM 


By  John  B.  Grant.  With 
64  full-page,  Plates  ob- 
long icmo,  $1.50  net. 


PARTIAL  LIST  OF  PLATES  : 


HOOT  OWL,  BELTED  KINGFISHER, 


WHIP-POOR-WILL,  KINGBIRD,  PHCEBE, 


BLUE  JAY,  BOBOLINK,  MEADOWLARK, 


ORCHARD  ORIOLE,  PURPLE  FINCH,  RED 


CROSSBILL,  SNOWFLAKE,  SNOWBIRD, 


SONG  SPARROW,  CARDINAL,  SUMMER 


REDBIRD,  CEDARBIRD,  MAGNOLIA 


WARBLER,  BROWN  THRUSH,  WINTER 
WREN,  WOOD  THRUSH,  ROBIN,  and  42 
others. 


“ It  gives  plain,  practical  illustration  regarding  birds  and  how  best  to  study  them  in 
their  haunts  and  homes  in  the  woods  and  fields.  The  plates  adorn  the  pages  and  give  value 
to  the  concise,  clearly  written  text.” — Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

“ With  the  fine  illustrations  and  the  simple  and  comprehensive  text,  there  is  no  excuse 
for  the  lover  of  birds  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  all  the  information  he  needs  to  enable  him  to 
recognize  at  sight,  and  to  name  unerringly,  any  bird  he  is  likely  to  see  in  his  walks  in  wood 
and  field.” — Boston  Saturday  Gazette. 


OUTING  BOOKS  FOR  SPRING  AND  SUMMER 


ART  OUT  OF  DOORS 


Hints  on  Good  Taste  in  Gardening.  By 
Mrs.  Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer. 
i2mo,  $1.50. 

CONTENTS:  the  art  of  gardening — aims  and 

MEANS— HOME  GROUNDS — CLOSE  TO  THE  HOUSE — 
ROADS  AND  PATHS — PI  AZZAS  — WINTER  BEAUTY — 
A WORD  FOR  ARCHITECTURE — PATTERN  BEDS — 
FORMAL  GARDENING— THE  BEAUTY  OF  TREES — 
BOTANY  AND  BEAUTY — THE  ARTIST— THE  LOVE  OF 
NATURE,  ETC.,  ETC. 

Landscape  gardening  as  an  art,  in 
its  practical  application  to  the  beautifying 
of  country  places,  is  the  subject  of  a book 
by  Mrs.  Van  Rensselaer,  who  writes  with 
thorough  knowledge  and  with  fresh  en- 
thusiasm. She  gives  information  and 
hints  in  abundance  relating  to  the  treat- 
ment of  grounds,  roads  and  paths,  piazzas, 
pattern  beds,  trees  and  shrubs,  etc.,  all  animated  by  a fine  artistic 
taste  and  a very  genuine  love  of  nature.  It  is  very  practical  and 
helpful,  and  is  written  in  the  same  agreeable  manner  that  character- 
izes all  of  Mrs.  Van  Rensselaer’s  writings. 


POEMS  OF  GUN  AND  ROD 

By  Ernest  McGaffey.  With 
Illustrations  by  Herbert  E. 

Butler.  Square  8vo,  $1.75. 

The  pleasures  of  shooting  and 
fishing,  the  delights  of  outdoor  life, 
and  the  varied  phases  of  nature  as 
they  appeal  to  the  sportsman,  are 
celebrated  by  Mr.  McGaffey  in 
graceful  and  spirited  verse.  His 
text  is  happily  supplemented  by  the 
handsome  illustrations. 


“ The  beauties  of  forest  and  lake  find  rare 
expression  in  his  consummate  verse.  One 
tak^s  up  this  beautiful  book  and  knows  not 
which  to  admire  most,  the  poems  or  the  illus- 
trations.”— Chicago  Herald. 

“As  studies  of  nature  from  the  sportsman’s  point  of  view  these  poems  are  admir- 
ably true  and  effective.” — Chicago  Tribune. 

“The  sportsmen  will  delight  in  these  lyrics.  The  illustrations  are  spirited  and 
artistic.’  ’ — Ph  i l a del  phi  a Record . 


OUTING  BOOKS  FOR  SPRING  AND  SUMMER 


MY  FARM  OF  EDGEWOOD 

A Country  Book.  By  Donald  G.  Mitchell.  i2mo,  $1.25. 

A perfect  idyl  of  farm-life,  abounding  in  healthful  lessons  and  useful 
hints  and  suggestions. 

“Tlie  book  is  deeply  marked  with  sturdy,  masculine,  practical  sense;  the  busiest  farmer 
may  devote  the  winter  evenings  to  its  perusal  with  profit  as  well  as  pleasure,  while  the  fine 
aroma  of  literary  culture  which  breathes  from  every  page  will  make  it  a favorite  for  the  choic- 
est hour  of  the  refined  and  tasteful  reader.” — New  York  Tribune. 


OUT  OF  TOWN  PLACES 


Practical  Hints  for  Country  Places.  By  Donald  G.  Mitchell.  i2mo, 

$ 1 • 2 5 • 

“ Into  these  suggestions  on  rural  life  and  work,  he  has  brought  some  of  the  quiet  humor  of 
his  early  works  and  added  a style  of  treatment  that  make  them  the  best  modelled  and  pleas- 
ing of  their  kind.  Whether  it  is  the  villager  who  seeks  practical  information,  or  the  city  resi- 
dent who  desires  to  enjoy  the  imaginary  possession  of  a well-kept  country  estate,  or  the 
lover  of  graceful  writing,  this  book  is  all  sufficient  and  delightful.” — Boston  Globe. 


Keel,  Wheel,  Whip,  and  Racket 


The  Boat  Sailer’s  Manual. 

By  Lieut.  E.  F.  Qualtrough,  U.S.N. 
8vo,  illustrated,  $2.00  net . 

The  Sailor’s  Handy  Book. 

By  Lieut.  E.  F.  Qualtrough,  U.S.N. 
Square  i6mo,  blue  roan,  with  Illus- 
trations and  Diagrams,  $3.50. 

The  America’s  Cup : 

How  it  was  Won  by  the  Yacht 
“ America,”  in  1851,  and  How  it  has 
since  been  Defended.  By  Capt. 
Roland  F.  Coffin.  i2mo,  Illus- 
trated, paper,  50  cents;  cloth,  $1.00. 

A Canterbury  Pilgrimage. 

Ridden,  Written,  and  Illustrated  by 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Robins 
Pennell.  Square  8vo,  paper,  50 
cents. 

An  American  Four=in=Hand 
in  Britain. 

By  Andrew  Carnegie,  author  of 
“ Triumphant  Democracy,”  etc., etc. 
i2mo,  paper,  cheap  edition,  25  cents.; 
small  4tOj  cloth,  $1.50. 

Lawn  Tennis  as  a Game  of 
Skill. 

By  Lieut.  S.  C.  F.  Peile.  Edited  by 
Richard  Sears.  i2mo,  75  cents. 


“ Besides  treating  of  the  management  of 
sailing  craft,  this  carefully  prepared  book 
contains  concise  descriptions  of  the  various 
rigs  in  general  use  at  home  and  abroad,  di- 
rections for  handling  sailing  canoes,  and  the 
rudiments  of  cutter  and  sloop  sailing.” 

— Pittsburgh  Chronicle . 

“Very  valuable  to  every  young  officer,  to 
yachtsmen,  and  to  all  who  follow  the  sea. 
The  material  is  carefully  prepared,  and  very 
useful.” 

— C.  R.  P.  Rodgers,  Rear-Admiral. 

“ Captain  Coffin  has  enjoyed  special  op- 
portunities for  knowing  the  subject  thor- 
oughly, for  he  has  witnessed  nearly  all  the  im- 
portant yachting  contests  in  this  country  for 
the  past  twenty  years.” — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

“ Beautifully  printed  and  illustrated,  and 
full  of  quaint  lore  about  Canterbury,  Chat- 
ham, and  Rochester.  It  is  full  of  the  humor 
of  the  olden  time,  and  takes  the  reader’s  im- 
agination back  to  Chaucer’s  Canterbury 
Pilgrims.’  ’ — B rookly  n Eagle. 

“A  fresh  and  vivacious  narrative  of  a very 
delightful  trip.  England  has  been  done 
many  times  by  Americans,  but  we  doubt 
whether  ever  under  circumstances  more 
agreeable,  or  in  a manner  more  favorable  to 
observation,  than  by  the  party  whose  summer 
holiday  is  described  by  Mr.  Carnegie.” 

— Boston  Journal. 

" The  book  contains  a special  chapter  for 
' the  instruction  of  ladies  ; and  is,  in  brief, 
the  sort  of  a book,  simple,  lucid,  and  author- 
I itative,  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of 
1 every  tennis  player.” — Boston  Beacon • 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  Publishers 

743=745  Broadway,  New  York 


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